Author Elizabeth Woodson explains, “In the Bible covenants are the major thread that connect the sixty-six books of the Bible into one unified story.”1 A covenant is a sacred and binding promise between two parties. Let’s follow the thread of major covenants in Scripture that weave together to reveal God’s incredible plan to redeem fallen humanity and restore His kingdom. The chart below provides a quick overview, but don’t miss the encouraging details that follow it.
| Covenant & Scripture Reference | Parties Involved | Brief Overview |
| Edenic & Adamic Genesis 1-3 | God & Adam, Eve | Dominion over Earth Cultural Mandate Sin results in Death |
| Noahic Genesis 6-9 | God & Noah | Earth would never again be destroyed by flood |
| Abrahamic Genesis 12, 15, 17 Reiterated to Isaac in Genesis 26:2-6 & Jacob in Genesis 28:13-14 | God & Abraham | Land, Descendants, Blessing |
| Mosaic/ Sinai/ Old Exodus 19-24 | God & Israelites | Blessings & Curses based on obedience |
| Davidic 2 Samuel 7 | God & David | Kingdom will endure & offspring will rule eternally |
| New Covenant Hebrews 9:15 2 Corinthians 5:21 | God & Repentant People | Faith in Christ and acceptance of His atoning sacrifice that reconciles people to God |
Adamic & Edenic Covenant: This is a two-part covenant. The Edenic Covenant spells out how males and females together were created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth. They were given the cultural mandate to be fruitful and multiply physically as well as spiritually and culturally—to advance God’s kingdom in His creation. Eating fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was forbidden and would result in death.
The Adamic Covenant comes as a result of Adam and Eve’s sin: there will be hostility between Satan and the descendants of Eve, pain in childbearing for women, difficulty in work, death for all living things. Despite all of the negative consequences, God also gave hope that Eve’s offspring would one day crush the serpent’s head (Galatians 4:4, 1 John 3:8 and Ephesians 1:19-23 clarify this is Jesus.) So, even in the midst of pronouncing a curse due to sin and disobedience, God shows grace in providing the hope of salvation.
Noahic Covenant: In this unconditional covenant, God promised He would never flood the earth again. God provided a visual sign of this covenant: “Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.” (Genesis 9:14-15, NIV)
“The lesson to us is that when we see a rainbow we should always be reminded of God’s faithfulness and His amazing grace. We should also be reminded that our God is a holy and righteous God who has a holy hatred for sin and who will not allow sin to go unpunished forever. Also, just as God provided a way for Noah and his family to be saved in the ark, He also has provided a way for us to be saved through Jesus Christ. Noah and his family were saved from the wrath of God that came in the flood, just as those who are in Christ are saved from the ‘wrath to come’ (1 Thessalonians 1:10).”2
Abrahamic Covenant: This unconditional covenant was promised in Genesis 12, sealed with a ceremony recorded in Genesis 15, and identified by the sign of circumcision in Genesis 17. It promises land, a multitude of descendants, and blessing to and through Abraham’s descendants that affects “all peoples on earth.” (Genesis 12:3, NIV) “This promise finds its fulfillment in the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31–34; cf. Luke 22:20), which was ratified by Jesus Christ, the son of Abraham and Redeemer who will one day ‘restore everything’ (Acts 3:21).”3
Mosaic Covenant: This conditional covenant was made while the Israelites were traveling in the desert from Egypt to the promised land after being freed from 400+ years of slavery. God was establishing them as a nation with a distinct identity and creating their laws and culture.
“It is important to understand that the Mosaic Covenant differs significantly from the Abrahamic Covenant and later biblical covenants because it is conditional in that the blessings that God promises are directly related to Israel’s obedience to the Mosaic Law. If Israel is obedient, then God will bless them, but if they disobey, then God will punish them. The blessings and curses that are associated with this conditional covenant are found in detail in Deuteronomy 28.”4
The Israelites failed to uphold their commitment to obey God and suffered serious consequences. Thankfully, other covenants found in the Bible are unilateral covenants of promise made by God. He fulfills what He promises regardless of whether the recipients are faithful or not.
Davidic Covenant: In this unconditional covenant, God promises to give His people a place where they can be planted and “have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed.” (2 Sam 7:10b, NIV) He also promises David “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” (2 Sam 7:16, NIV)
In addition to referring to Solomon, David’s son who would inherit his throne, this covenant establishes “Another Son of David would rule forever and build a lasting House. This is a reference to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, called the Son of David in Matthew 21:9.”5
New Covenant: This covenant was predicted by Moses (Deuteronomy 29 & 30), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:31-33) and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 36:26-27) It is between God and repentant people who accept Christ’s atoning sacrifice on their behalf.
The New Covenant promises God’s forgiveness and restored fellowship with Him for those whose hearts choose Him. “Under the New Covenant, we are given the opportunity to receive salvation as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8–9). Our responsibility is to exercise faith in Christ, the One who fulfilled the Law on our behalf and brought an end to the Law’s sacrifices through His own sacrificial death. Through the life-giving Holy Spirit who lives in all believers (Romans 8:9–11), we share in the inheritance of Christ and enjoy a permanent, unbroken relationship with God (Hebrews 9:15).”6
Under the Old/ Mosaic Covenant, the blood of animals had to be sacrificed regularly by priests in the Tabernacle to atone for the sins of the people. The book of Hebrews describes the contrast between the Old and New Covenants: “The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (Hebrews 9:13-15, NIV)
Like a beautiful tapestry with many colors and textures, Scripture weaves together a variety of stories. Despite covering thousands of years and numerous generations, the thread of God’s faithfulness shown through His covenants and the promise of the Messiah remains consistent. Stop for a minute and marvel at God’s ability to tend to both the smallest details and the grand scheme of the narrative at the same time. He alone is worthy of our praise!
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- 1. Elizabeth Woodson, From Beginning to Forever: A Study of the Grand Narrative of Scripture, Lifeway Press, 2022, 45.
- 2. https://www.gotquestions.org/Noahic-covenant.html
- 3. https://www.gotquestions.org/Abrahamic-covenant.html
- 4. https://www.gotquestions.org/Mosaic-covenant.html
- 5. https://www.gotquestions.org/Davidic-covenant.html
- 6. https://www.gotquestions.org/new-covenant.html