What is a covenant and who can benefit from it?
A covenant is a legal agreement that bind two parties together. God exercised legal agreements between himself and mankind. The covenant was accepted and made active when there was blood poured out upon the recipients or the written contract.
The first writing that mentions a covenant is found in Enoch when he speaks of the day that is been prepared for the chosen ones. It is called the day of the covenant.
Enoch 60:6… That day has been prepared for the chosen as a day of covenant, and for wrongdoers as a day of inquisition.
What other covenants or promises did God make with mankind? And how is this Day of the Covenant that Enoch speaks of tied in with the future?
Covenant with Noah
Genesis 6:18-20… And I do establish my covenant with you; and you must go into the ark, you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19 And of every living creature of every sort of flesh, two of each, you will bring into the ark to preserve them alive with you. Male and female they will be. 20 Of the flying creatures according to their kinds and of the domestic animals according to their kinds, of all moving animals of the ground according to their kinds, two of each will go in there to you to preserve them alive.
The next covenant described in the Scriptures is this one with Noah and the animals, and how God was preserving them alive through the flood that was going to come upon the earth. Because Noah proved to be faultless as he walked with God and was found to be righteous.
Rainbow Covenant -Forever
Genesis 9:819… And God went on to say to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 “And as for me, here I am establishing my covenant with YOU men and with YOUR offspring after YOU, 10 and with every living soul that is with YOU, among fowls, among beasts and among all living creatures of the earth with YOU, from all those going out of the ark to every living creature of the earth. 11 Yes, I do establish my covenant with YOU: No more will all flesh be cut off by waters of a deluge, and no more will there occur a deluge to bring the earth to ruin.” 12 And God added: “This is the sign of the covenant that I am giving between me and YOU and every living soul that is with YOU, for the generations to time indefinite. 13 My rainbow I do give in the cloud, and it must serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 And it shall occur that when I bring a cloud over the earth, then the rainbow will certainly appear in the cloud. 15 And I shall certainly remember my covenant which is between me and YOU and every living soul among all flesh; and no more will the waters become a deluge to bring all flesh to ruin. 16 And the rainbow must occur in the cloud, and I shall certainly see it to remember the covenant to time indefinite between God and every living soul among all flesh that is upon the earth.” 17 And God repeated to Noah: “This is the sign of the covenant that I do establish between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.”
God gave direction after the flood, he spoke about things that he wanted to happen, then he established his Rainbow Covenant, it was a guarantee that God would not bring a destruction upon the earth by means of water ever again.
Covenant with Abraham
Genesis 15:18… On that day Jehovah concluded with Abram a covenant, saying: “To your seed I will give this land.
Genesis 17:1-14… your name must become Abraham, because a father of a crowd of nations I will make you. 6 And I will make you very, very fruitful and will make you become nations, and kings will come out of you. 7 “And I will carry out my covenant between me and you and your seed after you according to their generations for a covenant to time indefinite, to prove myself God to you and to your seed after you… (continue reading from your own bible)
This is the covenant about the possession of land given to the seed of Abram, and at the age of 98 God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and gave him the covenant of circumcision to establish a working covenant to time indefinite. To identify a nation, the people of God and for God. All this because of their bloodline with an act of faith and obedience by means of circumcision. Acts 7:8
Covenant with Isaac
The seed of Abraham was identified and so the promises and the covenant were extended.
Genesis 17:19… To this God said: “Sarah your wife is indeed bearing you a son, and you must call his name Isaac. And I will establish my covenant with him for a covenant to time indefinite to his seed after him.”
Genesis 26:1-6… Now there arose a famine in the land, besides the first famine that occurred in the days of Abraham, so that Isaac directed himself to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, to Gerar. 2 Then Jehovah appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt. Tabernacle in the land that I designate to you. 3 Reside as an alien in this land, and I shall continue with you and bless you, because to you and to your seed I shall give all these lands, and I will carry out the sworn statement that I swore to Abraham your father, 4 ‘And I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens and I will give to your seed all these lands; and by means of your seed all nations of the earth will certainly bless themselves,’ 5 due to the fact that Abraham listened to my voice and continued to keep his obligations to me, my commands, my statutes, and my laws.” 6 So Isaac went on dwelling at Gerar.
Covenant of Jacob
God had Isaac bless his son with the laying on of the hands.
Genesis 27:28-30… And may the [true] God give you the dews of the heavens and the fertile soils of the earth and an abundance of grain and new wine. 29 Let peoples serve you and let national groups bow low to you. Become master over your brothers and let the sons of your mother bow low to you. Cursed be each one of those cursing you and blessed be each one of those blessing you.” 30 Now it came about as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob.
Then the Lord showed up and gave Jacob a dream and extended his promise.
Genesis 28:10-22… And Jacob continued on his way out from Beersheba and kept going to Haran. 11 In time he came across a place and set about spending the night there because the sun had set. So he took one of the stones of the place and set it as his head supporter and lay down in that place. 12 And he began to dream, and look! there was a ladder stationed upon the earth and its top reaching up to the heavens; and, look! there were God’s angels ascending and descending on it. 13 And, look! there was Jehovah stationed above it, and he proceeded to say: “I am Jehovah the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land upon which you are lying, to you I am going to give it and to your seed. 14 And your seed will certainly become like the dust particles of the earth, and you will certainly spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and by means of you and by means of your seed all the families of the ground will certainly bless themselves. 15 And here I am with you, and I will keep you in all the way you are going and I will return you to this ground, because I am not going to leave you until I have actually done what I have spoken to you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said: “Truly Jehovah is in this place and I myself did not know it.” 17 And he grew fearful and added: “How fear-inspiring this place is! This is nothing else but the house of God and this is the gate of the heavens.” 18 So Jacob got up early in the morning and took the stone that was there as his head supporter, and he set it up as a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 Further, he called the name of that place Bethel; but the fact is, Luz was the city’s name formerly. 20 And Jacob went on to vow a vow, saying: “If God will continue with me and will certainly keep me on this way on which I am going and will certainly give me bread to eat and garments to wear 21 and I shall certainly return in peace to the house of my father, then Jehovah will have proved to be my God. 22 And this stone that I have set up as a pillar will become a house of God, and as for everything that you will give me I shall without fail give the tenth of it to you.”
It was Jacob who established the giving to God and of the 10th as a voluntary offering.
Exodus 2:24-25… In time God heard their groaning and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25 So God looked on the sons of Israel and God took notice… (continue reading from your own bible)
The covenant with Abraham was one him and one with of the seed of his bloodline. It extended through his family tree by means of Isaac, Jacob, and then to the 12 sons of Jacob. Now there were many who were of Abraham and God was ready to reveal himself to that nation of Israel. So, how serious was God about those who break his covenants?
Exodus 4:22-26… Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23So I say to you, ‘Let My son go so that he may serve Me’; and if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.” 24Now it happened at the lodging place, that the Lord (an angel) met Moses and sought to kill him (making his son deathly ill because he had not been circumcised). 25Then Zipporah took a flint knife and cut off the foreskin of her son and threw it at Moses’ feet, and said, “Indeed you are a husband of blood to me!” 26So He left Moses alone. At that time Zipporah said, “You are a husband of blood”—because of the circumcision.
God was giving direction to Moses about what he should say to Pharaoh when he made reference to the nation of Israel being his firstborn son. That if Pharaoh did not let the nation of Israel go that he would kill Pharaoh’s firstborn son. Now it is interesting that the Scripture says that the Lord showed up. We know that it was a spirit being or angel seeking to enforce the circumcision covenant of Abraham and his seed. It would not have been Moses at risk of death it would have been the firstborn of his offspring who was not circumcised because Moses was circumcised. Genesis 17:11-14
Exodus 6:2-5… And God went on to speak to Moses and to say to him: “I am Jehovah. 3 And I used to appear to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as God Almighty, but as respects my name Jehovah I did not make myself known to them. 4 And I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their alien residences in which they resided as aliens. 5 And I, even I, have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I remember my covenant.
Exodus 19:3-9… And Moses went up to the [true] God, and Jehovah began to call to him out of the mountain, saying: “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and to tell the sons of Israel, 4 ‘YOU yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, that I might carry YOU on wings of eagles and bring YOU to myself. 5 And now if YOU will strictly obey my voice and will indeed keep my covenant, then YOU will certainly become my special property out of all [other] peoples, because the whole earth belongs to me. 6 And YOU yourselves will become to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to say to the sons of Israel.”7 So Moses came and called the older men of the people and set before them all these words that Jehovah had commanded him. 8 After that all the people answered unanimously and said: “All that Jehovah has spoken we are willing to do.” Immediately Moses took back the words of the people to Jehovah. 9 At this Jehovah said to Moses: “Look! I am coming to you in a dark cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with you, and that in you also they may put faith to time indefinite.” Then Moses reported the words of the people to Jehovah.
God was ready to extend the Abraham covenant to the whole nation by means of the agreement, by following Gods Law covenant. But did you notice that God said they would become a kingdom of priests? Was everybody who lived at that time part of the priesthood? How is God going to fulfill this promise?
Covenant at Horeb / Sinai – Law Given
When Moses went back onto the mountain God began to speak about the previous celebrations and covenants that he had made with Noah and Abraham and his seed.
Jubilees 6:8-14… Who so sheds man’s blood by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God made He man. 9 And you, increase ye, and multiply on the earth.’ 10 And Noah and his sons swore that they would not eat any blood that was in any flesh, and he made a covenant before the Lord God forever throughout all the generations of the earth in this month. 11 On this account He spoke to thee that thou shouldst make a covenant with the children of Israel in this month upon the mountain with an oath, and that thou shouldst sprinkle blood upon them because of all the words of the covenant, which the Lord made with them forever. 12 And this testimony is written concerning you that you should observe it continually, so that you should not eat on any day any blood of beasts or birds or cattle during all the days of the earth, and the man who eats the blood of beast or of cattle or of birds during all the days of the earth, he and his seed shall be rooted out of the land. 13 And do thou command the children of Israel to eat no blood, so that their names and their seed may be before the Lord our God continually.
So, they were not to eat blood any longer nor were they allowed kill one another because there was going to be a penalty for it. Noah and his sons made this covenant with God not eat blood for fear of being cut off from the land. This was a blood covenant. Now picking back up on our reading of Jubilees.
Jubilees 6:17-21… He set His rainbow in the cloud for a sign of the eternal covenant that there should not again be a flood on the earth to destroy it all the days of the earth. 17 For this reason it is ordained and written on the heavenly tablets, that they should celebrate the feast of weeks in this month once a year, to renew the covenant every year. 18 And this whole festival was celebrated in heaven from the day of creation till the days of Noah -twenty-six jubilees and five weeks of years and Noah and his sons observed it for seven jubilees and one week of years, till the day of Noah’s death in (2343 BC at 950 years old), and from the day of Noah’s death his sons did away with (it) until the days of Abraham, and they eat blood. 19 But Abraham observed it, and Isaac and Jacob and his children observed it up to thy days, and in thy days the children of Israel forgot it until ye celebrated it anew on this mountain. 20 And do thou command the children of Israel to observe this festival in all their generations for a commandment unto them: one day in the year in this month they shall celebrate the festival. 21 For it is the feast of weeks and the feast of first fruits: this feast is twofold and of a double nature: according to what is written and engraved concerning it, celebrate it.
So, we have a renewing of these covenants from year to year on the same day. The first is the Blood Covenant then the Feast of Weeks and last is the First fruits. As many refer to it as the rainbow covenant, but did you notice that this celebration of the Feast of Weeks was already being celebrated in heaven from the day of creation.
Moses came down off the mountain and gave the nation of Israel God’s words of life and death and the terms of his covenant.
Exodus 24:6-8… Then Moses took half the blood and put it in bowls, and half the blood he sprinkled upon the altar. 7 Finally he took the book of the covenant and read it in the ears of the people. Then they said: “All that Jehovah has spoken we are willing to do and be obedient.” 8 So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it upon the people and said: “Here is the blood of the covenant that Jehovah has concluded with YOU as respects all these words.”
By means of the pouring out of the blood that sealed the covenant that God made with the nation as it was concluded or accepted by all.
Exodus 31:16-18… And the sons of Israel must keep the sabbath, so as to carry out the sabbath during their generations. It is a covenant to time indefinite. 17 Between me and the sons of Israel it is a sign to time indefinite, because in six days Jehovah made the heavens and the earth and on the seventh day he rested and proceeded to refresh himself.” 18 Now as soon as he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai he proceeded to give Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone written on by God’s finger.
The Sabbath was also added as a covenant to the nation of Israel.
Deuteronomy 7:12-14… And it must occur that, because YOU continue listening to these judicial decisions and YOU do keep them and do carry them out, Jehovah your God must keep toward you the covenant and the loving-kindness about which he swore to your forefathers. 13 And he will certainly love you and bless you and multiply you and bless the fruit of your belly and the fruit of your soil, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the young of your cows and the progeny of your flock, on the soil that he swore to your forefathers to give to you. 14 The most blessed of all the peoples you will become.
The people of God were obligated to keep these covenants that meant a blessing for them.
Deuteronomy 8:18… And you must remember Jehovah your God, because he is the giver of power to you to make wealth; in order to carry out his covenant that he swore to your forefathers, as at this day.
These covenants were one of life and death, one of preservation, and prosperity. It defined who God’s people were and how they were going to worship.
Covenant of Moab – Reestablished and Ratified
Deuteronomy 29:1… These are the words of the covenant that Jehovah commanded Moses to conclude with the sons of Israel in the land of Moab aside from the covenant that he had concluded with them in Horeb…
Deuteronomy 29:10-15… YOU are all of YOU stationed today before Jehovah YOUR God, the heads of YOUR tribes, YOUR older men and YOUR officers, every man of Israel, 11 YOUR little ones, YOUR wives, and your alien resident who is in the midst of your camp, from the gatherer of your wood to the drawer of your water, 12 in order for you to enter into the covenant of Jehovah your God and his oath, which Jehovah your God is concluding with you today; 13 for the purpose of establishing you today as his people and that he may prove himself your God, just as he has promised you and just as he has sworn to your forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 14 “Now it is not with YOU alone that I am concluding this covenant and this oath, 15 but it is with him who is here standing with us today before Jehovah our God and with those who are not here with us today.
As the nation grew God ratified the law covenant, also there was those who were not part of the first covenant who were now among the nation, and they needed to come underneath the law covenant. But notice the last verse 15, this covenant was extended to those who were not even born yet or had come to be part of God’s people.
Did you notice that this covenant was going to be enforced upon those who were not present on this day. Look back on verse 15, this covenant was extended to those who were not even born yet or had come to be part of God’s people. Are all these covenants of God that we have reviewed connected together?
Prophetic Breakup
Before we answer that last question about are these covenants connected together. God spoke of a breakup between him and the people claiming to be his people. We say it was prophetic because it was spoken before the event of the breakup happened. As you read the following Scripture think about who is affected here in this breakup and how did it happen?
Zechariah 11:6-11… For I shall show compassion no more upon the inhabitants of the land,’ is the utterance of Jehovah. ‘So here I am causing mankind to find themselves, each one in the hand of his companion and in the hand of his king; and they will certainly crush to pieces the land, and I shall do no delivering out of their hand. 7 And I proceeded to shepherd the flock [meant] for the killing, in YOUR behalf, O afflicted ones of the flock. So I took for myself two staffs. The one I called Pleasantness, and the other I called Union, and I went shepherding the flock. 8 And I finally effaced three shepherds in one lunar month, as my soul gradually became impatient with them, and also their own soul felt a loathing toward me. 9 At length I said: “I shall not keep shepherding YOU. The one that is dying, let her die. And the one that is being effaced, let her be effaced. And as for the ones left remaining, let them devour, each one the flesh of her companion.” 10 So I took my staff Pleasantness and cut it to pieces, in order to break my covenant that I had concluded with all the peoples. 11 And it came to be broken in that day, and the afflicted ones of the flock who were watching me got to know in this way that it was the word of Jehovah. 12 Then I said to them: “If it is good in YOUR eyes, give [me] my wages; but if not, refrain.” And they proceeded to pay my wages, thirty pieces of silver.13 At that, Jehovah said to me: “Throw it to the treasury—the majestic value with which I have been valued from their standpoint.” Accordingly I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw it into the treasury at the house of Jehovah.
God had it prophesied that he would break the covenant with the unfaithful nation of Israel. God said that he would no longer protect them, guide, and direct them because they had rejected him fully. We identify this passage of Scripture having to do with the 30 pieces of silver paid to Judas for the betrayal of the Christ.
Where not the covenants that God had made with mankind supposed to be forever? Or would God ratify the covenant once again?
The covenants were made to last forever but the physical nation of Israel did not accept the Messiah at the appointed time. Once again God was going to ratify his covenants. Next we will look at other established special covenants that had to do with the priesthood before this prophetic breakup was announced.
Covenant of Levi – Priesthood
Exodus 40:12-15…Then you must bring Aaron and his sons near to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 13 And you must clothe Aaron with the holy garments and anoint him and sanctify him, and so he must act as priest to me. 14 After that you will bring his sons near, and you must clothe them with robes. 15 And you must anoint them just as you anointed their father, and so they must act as priests to me, and their anointing must serve continually for them as a priesthood to time indefinite during their generations.
God had Moses establish the priesthood they were sanctified and appointed. Anybody serving as a priest had to be anointed with oil and again this was to last forever. But God again found it necessary to utter prophetic word against the physical priesthood of Levi.
Malachi 2:4-8… And YOU will have to know that I have sent to YOU this commandment, in order that my covenant with Levi may continue,” Jehovah of armies has said. 5 “As for my covenant, it proved to be with him, [one] of life and of peace, and I kept giving them to him, with fear. And he continued fearing me; yes, because of my name he himself was struck with terror. 6 The very law of truth proved to be in his mouth, and there was no unrighteousness to be found on his lips. In peace and in uprightness he walked with me, and many were those whom he turned back from error. 7 For the lips of a priest are the ones that should keep knowledge, and [the] law is what people should seek from his mouth; for he is the messenger of Jehovah of armies. 8 “But YOU men—YOU have turned aside from the way. YOU have caused many to stumble in the law. YOU have ruined the covenant of Levi,” Jehovah of armies has said. 9 “And I also, for my part, shall certainly make YOU to be despised and low to all the people, according as YOU were not keeping my ways, but were showing partiality in the law.”
We can see the unfaithful ministers of God; the priest are to be punished for not keeping and abusing the law covenant. They created loopholes and they twisted and added to what God had said they had made the law heavy for some and light for themselves.
Covenant of Salt – Priesthood
Numbers 18:19… All the holy contributions, which the sons of Israel will contribute to Jehovah, I have given to you and your sons and your daughters with you, as an allowance to time indefinite. It is a covenant of salt to time indefinite before Jehovah for you and your offspring with you.”
Leviticus 2:13… And every offering of your grain offering you will season with salt; and you must not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be missing upon your grain offering. Along with every offering of yours you will present salt
The covenant of salt was made with the priesthood, God had spoken these words with Aaron the high priest not long after the covenant of Levi for the priesthood was made. This covenant of salt was to be a provision and an allowance of food to sustain the priesthood.
Covenant of Peace – Priesthood
Something special happened and God again modified the priesthood.
Numbers 25:10-13… Then Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying: 11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest has turned back my wrath from upon the sons of Israel by his tolerating no rivalry at all toward me in the midst of them, so that I have not exterminated the sons of Israel in my insistence on exclusive devotion. 12 For that reason say, ‘Here I am giving him my covenant of peace. 13 And it must serve as the covenant of a priesthood to time indefinite for him and his offspring after him, due to the fact that he tolerated no rivalry toward his God and proceeded to make atonement for the sons of Israel.
So, we can see that the covenant of peace is intended as part of the covenant of the priesthood. God never intended for the priesthood to ever end. We know this because of what we’ve read in Ezekiel, how God calls for the sons of Zadok to serve him forever in the temple arrangement. Now the question becomes is this the physical temple or has it become a spiritual temple? Ezekiel 40:46-48:9
Isaiah 61:6-9… And as for YOU, the priests of Jehovah YOU will be called; the ministers of our God YOU will be said to be. The resources of the nations YOU people will eat, and in their glory YOU will speak elatedly about yourselves. 7 Instead of YOUR shame there will be a double portion, and instead of humiliation they will cry out joyfully over their share. Therefore in their land they will take possession of even a double portion. Rejoicing to time indefinite is what will come to be theirs. 8 For I, Jehovah, am loving justice, hating robbery along with unrighteousness. And I will give their wages in trueness, and an indefinitely lasting covenant I shall conclude toward them. 9 And their offspring will actually be known even among the nations, and their descendants in among the peoples. All those seeing them will recognize them, that they are the offspring whom Jehovah has blessed.”
As we read these passages of Scriptures it’s hard to ignore that the priesthood continues on forever and the descendants of the priesthood become the offspring that God blesses. How is this priesthood going to function in the future? What else can we learn as we read on? What else can we learn as we read on about other covenants that God made with mankind?
Kingdom Covenant of David
God established a covenant for a kingdom and with the one who would rule over it. God found David and made him King over his people.
1 Samuel 16:1, 11-16… Eventually Jehovah said to Samuel: “For how long will you be mourning for Saul, while I, on the other hand, have rejected him from ruling as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I shall send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, because I have provided among his sons a king for myself… 11 Finally Samuel said to Jesse: “Are these all the boys?” To this he said: “The youngest one has till now been left out and look! he is pasturing the sheep.” At that Samuel said to Jesse: “Do send and fetch him, because we shall not sit down to meal until his coming here.” 12 Accordingly he sent and had him come. Now he was ruddy, a young man with beautiful eyes and handsome in appearance. Then Jehovah said: “Get up, anoint him, for this is he!” 13 Accordingly Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the spirit of Jehovah began to be operative upon David from that day forward. Later Samuel rose and went his way to Ramah.
2 Samuel 7:8-17… And now this is what you will say to my servant David, ‘This is what Jehovah of armies has said: “I myself took you from the pasture ground from following the flock to become a leader over my people Israel. 9 And I shall prove to be with you wherever you do go, and I will cut off all your enemies from before you; and I shall certainly make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones that are in the earth. 10 And I shall certainly appoint a place for my people Israel and plant them, and they will indeed reside where they are, and no more will they be disturbed; and the sons of unrighteousness will not afflict them again as they did at the first, 11 even from the day that I put judges in command over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. And Jehovah has told you that a house is what Jehovah will make for you. 12 When your days come to the full, and you must lie down with your forefathers, then I shall certainly raise up your seed after you, which will come out of your inward parts; and I shall indeed firmly establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one that will build a house for my name, and I shall certainly establish the throne of his kingdom firmly to time indefinite. 14 I myself shall become his father, and he himself will become my son. When he does wrong, I will also reprove him with the rod of men and with the strokes of the sons of Adam. 15 As for my loving-kindness, it will not depart from him the way I removed it from Saul, whom I removed on account of you. 16 And your house and your kingdom will certainly be steadfast to time indefinite before you; your very throne will become one firmly established to time indefinite.” 7 According to all these words and according to all this vision was the way that Nathan spoke to David.
Jeremiah 33:19-25… And the word of Jehovah came further to Jeremiah, saying: 20 “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘If YOU people could break my covenant of the day and my covenant of the night, even in order for day and night not to occur in their time, 21 likewise could my own covenant be broken with David my servant so that he should not come to have a son ruling as king upon his throne; also with the Levites, the priests, my ministers. 22 Just as the army of the heavens cannot be counted, neither the sand of the sea be measured, so I shall multiply the seed of David my servant and the Levites who are ministering to me.’” 23 And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to Jeremiah, saying: 24 “Have you not seen what those of this people have spoken, saying, ‘The two families whom Jehovah has chosen, he will also reject them’? And my own people they keep treating with disrespect, so that it should no more continue being a nation before them. 25 “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘If it was not a fact that I had appointed my own covenant of the day and night, the statutes of heaven and earth, 26 so too I would reject even the seed of Jacob and of David my servant, so that I should not take from his seed rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I shall gather their captives and will have pity upon them.
King David became anointed with oil, way before he became the king. Later on God promised that through David the kingship and the throne would be established forever. Jeremiah reveals that from the seed rulers would be brought forth to rule.
. Jeremiah reveals that from the seed of David rulers would be brought forth to rule over Gods nation.
But who would it be that would become king of God’s kingdom?
Luke 22:28-30… However, YOU are the ones that have stuck with me in my trials; 29 and I make a covenant with YOU, just as my Father has made a covenant with me, for a kingdom, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.
The Covenant with David was to last forever, the Lord Jesus Christ came as the root and offspring of David, he was called the son of David, the Son of Man. And he made a covenant with his disciples to eat and drink at his table in the kingdom and to sit on thrones and help to judge mankind.
Only you will know if you have the sharing in the kingdom of God in this way, no one else can give it to you or take it away from you because it’s offered by our Lord. Revelation reveals how many will be called to this type of work and to this type of covenant. Revelation 14
But there is a covenant that all can share in, God begin to reveal this new covenant by means of his prophets of long ago. It is called the New Covenant.
New Covenant – Covenant of Peace
Isaiah 55:1-4… Hey there, all YOU thirsty ones! Come to the water. And the ones that have no money! Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk even without money and without price. 2 Why do YOU people keep paying out money for what is not bread, and why is YOUR toil for what results in no satisfaction? Listen intently to me, and eat what is good, and let YOUR soul find its exquisite delight in fatness itself. 3 Incline YOUR ear and come to me. Listen, and YOUR soul will keep alive, and I shall readily conclude with YOU people an indefinitely lasting covenant respecting the loving-kindnesses to David that are faithful. 4 Look! As a witness to the national groups I have given him, as a leader and commander to the national groups.
Readers of God’s word recognize the greater David the ruler of the national groups as being Christ Jesus, Yeshua. God’s word reveals that all are invited, and that God is willing to quickly add you to this new covenant. What else does God’s word reveal about this new covenant?
Isaiah 56:1-8… This is what Jehovah has said: “Keep justice, YOU people, and do what is righteous. For my salvation is at hand to come in, and my righteousness to be revealed. 2 Happy is the mortal man that does this, and the son of mankind that lays hold of it, keeping the sabbath in order not to profane it, and keeping his hand in order not to do any kind of badness. 3 And let not the foreigner that has joined himself to Jehovah say, ‘Without doubt Jehovah will divide me off from his people.’ Neither let the eunuch say, ‘Look! I am a dry tree. 4 For this is what Jehovah has said to the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths and that have chosen what I have delighted in and that are laying hold of my covenant: 5 “I will even give to them in my house and within my walls a monument and a name, something better than sons and daughters. A name to time indefinite I shall give them, one that will not be cut off. 6 “And the foreigners that have joined themselves to Jehovah to minister to him and to love the name of Jehovah, in order to become servants to him, all those keeping the sabbath in order not to profane it and laying hold of my covenant, 7 I will also bring them to my holy mountain and make them rejoice inside my house of prayer. Their whole burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be for acceptance upon my altar. For my own house will be called even a house of prayer for all the peoples.” 8 The utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, who is collecting together the dispersed ones of Israel, is: “I shall collect together to him others besides those already collected together of his.
This is a simple concept God is speaking about but let me ask you a question to help you grasp the meaning. How is it that the foreigner and even a eunuch at that can come into the temple of God and can become a monument?
Isaiah 59:20-21… And to Zion the Repurchaser will certainly come, and to those turning from transgression in Jacob,” is the utterance of Jehovah. “And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” Jehovah has said. “My spirit that is upon you and my words that I have put in your mouth—they will not be removed from your mouth or from the mouth of your offspring or from the mouth of the offspring of your offspring,” Jehovah has said, “from now on even to time indefinite.
Who was this repurchaser who came and what covenant is God speaking about?
Jeremiah 31:31-34… Look! There are days coming,” is the utterance of Jehovah, “and I will conclude with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant; 32 not one like the covenant that I concluded with their forefathers in the day of my taking hold of their hand to bring them forth out of the land of Egypt, ‘which covenant of mine they themselves broke, although I myself had husbandly ownership of them,’ is the utterance of Jehovah.” 33 “For this is the covenant that I shall conclude with the house of Israel after those days,” is the utterance of Jehovah. “I will put my law within them, and in their heart I shall write it. And I will become their God, and they themselves will become my people.” 34 “And they will no more teach each one his companion and each one his brother, saying, ‘KNOW Jehovah!’ for they will all of them know me, from the least one of them even to the greatest one of them,” is the utterance of Jehovah. “For I shall forgive their error, and their sin I shall remember no more.
Okay here we go, it is the New Covenant. How is it that the law is now going to be put into the hearts?
Jeremiah 32:37-41… Here I am collecting them together out of all the lands to which I shall have dispersed them in my anger and in my rage and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place and make them dwell in security. 38 And they will certainly become my people, and I myself shall become their God. 39 And I will give them one heart and one way in order to fear me always, for good to them and to their sons after them. 40 And I will conclude with them an indefinitely lasting covenant, that I shall not turn back from behind them, for me to do them good; and the fear of me I shall put in their heart in order not to turn aside from me. 41 And I will exult over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land in trueness with all my heart and with all my soul.
God was revealing by means of the prophets that a new covenant was coming, a new agreement, legally binding by the pouring out of the blood of the Redeemer.
Ezekiel 34:25-30… And I will conclude with them a covenant of peace, and I shall certainly cause the injurious wild beast to cease out of the land, and they will actually dwell in the wilderness in security and sleep in the forests. 26 And I will make them and the surroundings of my hill a blessing, and I will cause the pouring rain to descend in its time. Pouring rains of blessing there will prove to be. 27 And the tree of the field must give its fruitage, and the land itself will give its yield, and they will actually prove to be on their soil in security. And they will have to know that I am Jehovah when I break the bars of their yoke and I have delivered them out of the hand of those who had been using them as slaves. 28 And they will no longer become something to plunder for the nations; and as regards the wild beast of the earth, it will not devour them, and they will actually dwell in security, with no one to make [them] tremble. 29 And I will raise up for them a planting for a name, and they will no more become those taken away by famine in the land, and they will no longer bear the humiliation by the nations. 30 ‘And they will have to know that I, Jehovah their God, am with them and that they are my people, the house of Israel,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.
Ezekiel 37:21-28… And speak to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “Here I am taking the sons of Israel from among the nations to which they have gone, and I will collect them together from round about and bring them onto their soil. 22 And I shall actually make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king is what all of them will come to have as king, and they will no longer continue to be two nations, nor will they be divided any longer into two kingdoms. 23 And they will no longer defile themselves with their dungy idols and with their disgusting things and with all their transgressions; and I shall certainly save them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and I will cleanse them, and they must become my people, and I myself shall become their God. 24 And my servant David will be king over them, and one shepherd is what they will all come to have; and in my judicial decisions they will walk, and my statutes they will keep, and they will certainly carry them out. 25 And they will actually dwell upon the land that I gave to my servant, to Jacob, in which YOUR forefathers dwelt, and they will actually dwell upon it, they and their sons and their sons’ sons to time indefinite, and David my servant will be their chieftain to time indefinite. 26 And I will conclude with them a covenant of peace; an indefinitely lasting covenant is what there will come to be with them. And I will place them and multiply them and place my sanctuary in the midst of them to time indefinite. 27 And my tabernacle will actually prove to be over them, and I shall certainly become their God, and they themselves will become my people. 28 And the nations will have to know that I, Jehovah, am sanctifying Israel when my sanctuary comes to be in the midst of them to time indefinite.
This prophecy about the servant David was prophesied after the breakup of physical Israel. But this is a restoration prophecy again God mentions an everlasting covenant and God’s sanctuary is coming. Who else could educate us about the new covenant, how it works, how was going to function and how we would benefit from it?
God answered by means of Malachi the prophet, it was by the messenger of the covenant, the prince of the covenant or the leader of the covenant.
Malachi 3:1… Look! I am sending my messenger, and he must clear up a way before me. And suddenly there will come to His temple the [true] Lord, whom YOU people are seeking, and the messenger of the covenant in whom YOU are delighting. Look! He will certainly come,” Jehovah of armies has said.
The Redeemer came and gave up his life as the blood sacrifice for the new covenant, so that you can enter the Kingdom of God.
Romans 11:25-31… For I do not want YOU, brothers, to be ignorant of this sacred secret, in order for YOU not to be discreet in your own eyes: that a dulling of sensibilities has happened in part to Israel until the full number of people of the nations has come in, 26 and in this manner all Israel will be saved. Just as it is written: “The deliverer will come out of Zion and turn away ungodly practices from Jacob. 27 And this is the covenant on my part with them, when I take their sins away.” 28 True, with reference to the good news they are enemies for YOUR sakes, but with reference to [God’s] choosing they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are not things he will regret. 30 For just as YOU were once disobedient to God but have now been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so also these now have been disobedient with mercy resulting to YOU, that they themselves also may now be shown mercy. 32 For God has shut them all up together in disobedience, that he might show all of them mercy.
This New Covenant would remove sin from the individual. But what would we need to do to agree to accept this new covenant arrangement?
1 Corinthians 11:23-26… For I received from the Lord that which I also handed on to YOU, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was going to be handed over took a loaf 24 and, after giving thanks, he broke it and said: “This means my body which is in YOUR behalf. Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” 25 He did likewise respecting the cup also, after he had the evening meal, saying: “This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood. Keep doing this, as often as YOU drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as YOU eat this loaf and drink this cup, YOU keep proclaiming the death of the Lord, until he arrives.
Matthew 26:26-28… As they continued eating, Jesus took a loaf and, after saying a blessing, he broke it and, giving it to the disciples, he said: “TAKE, eat. This means my body.” 27 Also, he took a cup and, having given thanks, he gave it to them, saying: “Drink out of it, all of YOU; 28 for this means my ‘blood of the covenant,’ which is to be poured out in behalf of many for forgiveness of sins.
Luke 22:19-20… Also, he took a loaf, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them, saying: “This means my body which is to be given in YOUR behalf. Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” 20 Also, the cup in the same way after they had the evening meal, he saying: “This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood, which is to be poured out in YOUR behalf.
So, the wine at the ceremony of the Lord’s supper represented the blood of the covenant and drinking of it would signal that you accept the New Covenant provided by God.
Hebrews 8:6-13… But now [Jesus] has obtained a more excellent public service, so that he is also the mediator of a correspondingly better covenant, which has been legally established upon better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, no place would have been sought for a second; 8 for he does find fault with the people when he says: “‘Look! There are days coming,’ says Jehovah, ‘and I will conclude with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant; 9 not according to the covenant that I made with their forefathers in [the] day of my taking hold of their hand to bring them forth out of the land of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant, so that I stopped caring for them,’ says Jehovah.” 10 “‘For this is the covenant that I shall covenant with the house of Israel after those days,’ says Jehovah. ‘I will put my laws in their mind, and in their hearts I shall write them. And I will become their God, and they themselves will become my people. 11 “‘And they will by no means teach each one his fellow citizen and each one his brother, saying: “Know Jehovah!” For they will all know me, from [the] least one to [the] greatest one of them. 12 For I shall be merciful to their unrighteous deeds, and I shall by no means call their sins to mind anymore.’”13 In his saying “a new [covenant]” he has made the former one obsolete. Now that which is made obsolete and growing old is near to vanishing away.
Hebrews 9:15-20… So that is why he is a mediator of a new covenant, in order that, because a death has occurred for [their] release by ransom from the transgressions under the former covenant, the ones who have been called might receive the promise of the everlasting inheritance. 16 For where there is a covenant, the death of the [human] covenanter needs to be furnished. 17 For a covenant is valid over dead [victims], since it is not in force at any time while the [human] covenanter is living. 18 Consequently neither was the former [covenant] inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment according to the Law had been spoken by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of the young bulls and of the goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled the book itself and all the people, 20 saying: “This is the blood of the covenant that God has laid as a charge upon YOU.” 21 And he sprinkled the tent and all the vessels of the public service likewise with the blood. 22 Yes, nearly all things are cleansed with blood according to the Law, and unless blood is poured out no forgiveness takes place.
The apostle Paul explained that the old covenant was going away but a new covenant came into existence by means of a mediator the Christ. The Christ furnished his own body and poured out his blood to activate the new covenant. Now this question begs to be answered. Will you accept the New Covenant by means of the mediator Jesus Christ?
2 Corinthians 3:4-6… Now through the Christ we have this sort of confidence toward God. 5 Not that we of ourselves are adequately qualified to reckon anything as issuing from ourselves, but our being adequately qualified issues from God, 6 who has indeed adequately qualified us to be ministers of a new covenant, not of a written code, but of spirit; for the written code condemns to death, but the spirit makes alive.
By your faith in the belief that Jesus Christ came and died for you. That he has now become a life-giving spirit. If you will accept and believe this then you can enter into the new covenant by means of joining yourself to the body of Christ and accepting the blood of the covenant. But you have to act in faith this is not a passive agreement you have to be proactive in accepting the invitation.
Enter the Kingdom of God
Do you remember what Ezekiel 37:21-28 says about God sanctuary? Then as you read this passage of Scripture in Revelation you may recognize that the tent of God is actually the sanctuary of God that comes down from heaven and resides with mankind. This truly becomes a blessing to mankind in the future.
Revelation 21:1-8… And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. 2 I saw also the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.” 5 And the One seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new.” Also, he says: “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” 6 And he said to me: “They have come to pass! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning, and the end. To anyone thirsting I will give from the fountain of the water of life free. 7 Anyone conquering will inherit these things, and I shall be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowards and those without faith and those who are disgusting in their filth and murderers and fornicators and those practicing spiritism and idolaters and all the liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and Sulphur. This means the second death.
If you are going to accept these things, then this means everlasting life. But if you do not accept the invitation for salvation and everlasting life it means an everlasting cutting off, the second death.
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