The covenant with Noah followed the global flood, wherein God promised to never again destroy all life by such a catastrophe. The rainbow became the visible sign of His mercy and faithfulness to sustain the earth and preserve life. This covenant revealed that God’s purpose was restoration, not destruction, even after judgment.

The covenant with Abraham was the next major milestone. God promised Abraham innumerable descendants and the land from Egypt to the Euphrates. When Abraham believed, his faith was counted as righteousness. The covenant was confirmed through sacrifice and a divine vision in which God foretold the future bondage of Israel in Egypt and their eventual deliverance with great wealth.

The covenant was later reaffirmed with Isaac and Jacob, each receiving confirmation of the same promise. God told Isaac to remain in the land during a famine and renewed the blessings given to Abraham. Jacob, renamed Israel, received the reaffirmation of these promises at Bethel, where he built an altar, marking the second renewal of God’s faithfulness.

When Moses was called to lead Israel out of Egypt, God introduced a new covenantal system at Mount Sinai. The Israelites were given laws which governed moral behavior, religious ceremony, and national identity. The Ten Commandments formed the moral foundation, expressing God’s holiness and His will for human conduct. The covenant at Sinai was sealed with the blood of animal sacrifices as Moses sprinkled both the altar and the people, representing mutual commitment – God’s acceptance of Israel as His people and their pledge to obey His law. This covenant was later reaffirmed in the plains of Moab.

The First Covenant consisted of two parts:

1.      The Atonement

2.      The Promised Land

The Atonement revealed that sin could only be remitted through the shedding of blood. The yearly sacrifices offered by the high priest were symbolic acts pointing toward a future, perfect redemption through the coming Messiah, the Seed promised in Genesis 3:15. Job’s testimony of faith in the Redeemer also revealed the ancient understanding of resurrection and hope beyond death. The Passover instituted by Moses and Aaron became a perpetual reminder of deliverance and the need for substitutionary blood to escape judgment.

The Promised Land was the second component. God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob concerning Canaan was conditional upon obedience. Moses warned that disobedience would bring curses, exile, and destruction. Deuteronomy 28 vividly outlines these consequences—disease, captivity, fear, and scattering among the nations. History confirmed this prophecy when the northern kingdom fell to the Assyrians in 721 B.C., and Judah was conquered by the Babylonians in 587 B.C.

Though Cyrus later permitted the Jews to return, only a remnant chose to do so. They never regained sovereignty over the land, and by the time of Christ, the Jews were seeking a Messiah to restore national glory. However, Jesus clarified that His mission was spiritual, not political. He had no intention of establishing an earthly kingdom; instead, He brought redemption to all who would believe.

There is a clear contrast between the Old and New Covenants. The first, written on stone, required continual sacrifices and external observance. It was temporary and insufficient because it depended on human faithfulness. The second, mediated by Jesus as the Messiah, features God’s laws written upon the soul and is eternal. Through this New Covenant, God promises to forgive sins and remember them no more.

Under the Old Covenant, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies every year to make atonement with animal blood. This ritual symbolized cleansing of the flesh but could not purify the soul and set it permanently free from sin. That changed when Jesus entered the heavenly sanctuary with His sinless blood to obtain eternal redemption. As the mediator of the New Covenant, His sacrifice was final, fulfilling the Mosaic Law. Christians are cleansed from dead works to serve the living God through the blood the Lamb.

Christ’s one-time sacrifice ended the need for repetitive offerings. Just as men die once and face judgment, so Christ died once to bear the sins of humanity. The First Covenant no longer exists because it was fulfilled at the crucifixion of Jesus. Any effort to revive it is futile, because the sacrificial part of the Mosaic Law has been superseded by grace.

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Yours in Christ,

Pastor John S. Torell