Page 9 - Advanced OT Survey Student Textbook

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sovereign.” God promised Abraham land, as an inheritance, and an offspring who were going to be as
many as the stars in the sky. Thus God changed his name from Abram to “Abraham” which means father
of nations, because through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. (Gen17:1-4) Apart from
changing his name God also asked Abraham and his household and his descendants after him to be
circumcised as a sign of the covenant. God also promised to establish a covenant with Abraham’s
descendants throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, and to be God to him and his
descendants. A ratification ceremony was performed and God sealed His oath with a promise of His own
blood. (Gen 15:17-18). The uniqueness of the Abrahamic covenant is that it is one extended family
permanently welcomed into covenant relationship.

Theological significance
Abraham’s faith is very cardinal to everyone, even to us the New Testament believers because in
Galatians 3:1-9, his faith is recommended as something that we need to have. The New Testament also
makes circumcision equivalent to baptism. Circumcision was a mark of those belonging to Yahweh, thus
faith in Christ is a sign of belonging to Jesus. The Abrahamic Covenant sets the tone for faith as God’s
redemptive solution for a sinful mankind because through Abraham’s faith he was declared righteous.
(Gen 15:6). Thus Abraham is the father of everyone who believes both Jew and Gentile.

(C) Mosaic Covenant
The mosaic covenant is a good example of suzerain/ vassal treaty. God made this covenant with the
children of Israel immediately after delivering them from Egypt as a newly born nation. God was also
fulfilling his covenant with Abraham. As alluded to earlier, God was not asking the Israelites to obey Him
in order to obtain grace but rather, they were asked to obey because God had already acted on their
behalf. He promised they would keep the land and enjoy the fruit of the land if they continued in
obedience (blessings) and curses if they disobeyed. Like every suzerain God also stipulated his
ordinances to his new vassal or what we call the Ten Commandments represented by two tablets. Again,
a ratification ceremony was also performed (Exodus 24:5-8) to finalize the covenant.

Theological significance
The mosaic covenant was a shadow of the true covenant found in Christ Jesus. Moses as prophet and
priest is a type of Christ on behalf of His People. The tabernacle is also a very important symbol of God’s
desire to cohabit with mankind. Christ appearance and His name “Emmanuel” is a clear indication of
God’s desire to dwell with mankind and restore the broken relationship. However, the restrictions in the
law denote the separation between man and God. The sacrifices are also a shadow of the permanent
atonement of Christ. Thus the mosaic covenant more than any other covenant is a great parallel of the
new covenant in Christ.

(D) Davidic Covenant
The Davidic covenant like the Abrahamic is also a “royal grant”. God was rewarding his servant’s
faithfulness with an everlasting dynasty. (2 Samuel 7) The basic element to this covenant was continued
obedience. God required that the descendants of David should continue being loyal in order for them to
enjoy God’s goodness.

Theological significance
2 Samuel 7:14 is very critical to Israel’s theocratic covenant. As mentioned earlier, God’s response to
covenant disloyalty remains the same. He demands continued obedience. Failure to comply resulted in
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oppression from their enemies. David is also a type of Christ. David’s obedience to God as a king

10 Ibid.
11 Ibid. p.203.
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