What are the covenants with Israel?
Question 10068
Throughout Scripture, God established several foundational covenants with Israel that define His relationship with them and outline His plans for their future. These covenants – the Abrahamic, Mosaic, Land, Davidic, and New Covenants – form the backbone of biblical prophecy and demonstrate God’s unchanging commitment to Israel. Understanding these covenants is essential for properly interpreting Scripture and recognising God’s faithfulness.
The Abrahamic Covenant
The foundational covenant with Israel began with God’s call to Abraham (then called Abram) around 2000 BC. This covenant established the basis for all God’s subsequent dealing with Israel and contains three primary promises: land, descendants, and blessing.
God first revealed this covenant in Genesis 12:1-3: “Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonours you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'”
This covenant was reaffirmed and expanded in Genesis 13:14-17, where God promised Abraham that all the land he could see would belong to his descendants forever. In Genesis 15:18-21, God made a formal covenant ceremony and specified the boundaries: “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.”
The covenant was further confirmed in Genesis 17:1-8, where God changed Abram’s name to Abraham (“father of a multitude”) and promised that the covenant would be “everlasting” (בְּרִית עוֹלָם, berit olam) and the land would be an “everlasting possession” (אֲחֻזַּת עוֹלָם, achuzzat olam).
Crucially, this covenant was unconditional. God put Abraham into a deep sleep during the covenant ceremony (Genesis 15:12), and only God (represented by a smoking fire pot and flaming torch) passed between the divided animals (Genesis 15:17). In ancient covenant ceremonies, both parties would normally walk between the animal pieces, signifying “May this happen to me if I break this covenant.” But here, only God passed through, indicating that the covenant’s fulfilment depended entirely on God’s faithfulness, not Abraham’s.
God later confirmed this covenant to Isaac (Genesis 26:3-4) and Jacob (Genesis 28:13-15, 35:11-12), making it clear that the promises passed through the chosen line, not through all of Abraham’s descendants. Ishmael and Esau were blessed but were not the chosen line through whom the covenant promises would flow.
The Mosaic Covenant
About 400 years after Abraham, God established a covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai through Moses. This covenant, given after the Exodus from Egypt, was fundamentally different from the Abrahamic covenant – it was conditional, based on Israel’s obedience.
God said: “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:5-6) The condition is clear: “if you will indeed obey.”
The Mosaic covenant included the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), detailed civil and ceremonial laws, and the sacrificial system. It established Israel as a theocracy with God as King, gave them moral, civil, and ceremonial regulations, and provided a system of sacrifices to atone for sin.
This covenant came with blessings for obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) and curses for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). The curses included disease, drought, military defeat, and ultimately exile from the land. Moses warned: “And the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other.” (Deuteronomy 28:64)
It is vital to understand that the Mosaic covenant did not replace or nullify the Abrahamic covenant. Paul makes this clear: “This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.” (Galatians 3:17) The Mosaic covenant was temporary, given to reveal sin and prepare Israel for the Messiah. The Abrahamic covenant remained the foundation of God’s relationship with Israel.
The book of Hebrews explains that the Mosaic covenant, including its priesthood and sacrificial system, was a shadow pointing to Christ (Hebrews 8:5, 10:1). With Christ’s coming, the Mosaic covenant was fulfilled and superseded. Believers are not under the Mosaic law (Romans 6:14, Galatians 3:23-25), though the moral principles reflected in the law remain timeless expressions of God’s character.
The Land Covenant
As Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, God established a specific covenant concerning the land, recorded in Deuteronomy 29-30. This covenant, sometimes called the Palestinian Covenant, expanded on the land promises in the Abrahamic covenant and explained the terms of Israel’s relationship with the land.
The covenant predicted a cycle: Israel would enter the land, be blessed through obedience or cursed through disobedience, eventually be scattered among the nations due to sin, but ultimately be regathered and blessed in the land in the last days.
Moses prophesied: “And the LORD your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it. And he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:5-6)
This covenant is unconditional regarding ultimate fulfilment but conditional regarding blessing or cursing at any given time. Israel’s disobedience could lead to temporary exile (as occurred in 586 BC and AD 70), but God promised ultimate restoration. This is precisely what we see happening today – Israel regathered but still awaiting spiritual renewal.
The Davidic Covenant
Around 1000 BC, God established a covenant with King David concerning his dynasty and kingdom. This covenant promised that David’s throne and kingdom would be established forever through one of his descendants.
God declared through the prophet Nathan: “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son… And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” (2 Samuel 7:12-14, 16)
This covenant had both near and far fulfilment. The immediate referent was Solomon, who built the temple. But the ultimate fulfilment is Jesus Christ, David’s greater son, who will reign on David’s throne forever.
The covenant promised three eternal elements: an eternal house (dynasty), an eternal kingdom, and an eternal throne. These were unconditional promises based on God’s faithfulness, not David’s or his descendants’ worthiness. Even when David’s descendants proved unfaithful and the kingdom was divided and eventually destroyed, God’s promise remained.
The angel Gabriel announced to Mary that Jesus would fulfil the Davidic covenant: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:32-33)
Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah included His right to David’s throne. When He returns, He will sit on David’s throne in Jerusalem and rule the nations during the millennium, perfectly fulfilling the Davidic covenant.
The New Covenant
The New Covenant, prophesied primarily in Jeremiah 31:31-34, promises spiritual renewal and transformation for Israel. This is the covenant that provides for Israel’s ultimate salvation and restoration.
God declared: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbour and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
This covenant would differ from the Mosaic covenant in several ways. It would be internal (written on hearts, not tablets), it would be individual (personal knowledge of God), and it would be effective (based on God’s power to change hearts, not human ability to obey). Most significantly, it would provide complete forgiveness of sins.
The New Covenant is founded on the blood of Jesus Christ. At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” (Luke 22:20) His death purchased the forgiveness promised in the New Covenant.
Here is where we must be careful. The New Covenant was made “with the house of Israel and the house of Judah” (Jeremiah 31:31). It is primarily for Israel. However, Gentile believers participate in the blessings of this covenant. We are beneficiaries of the forgiveness and spiritual transformation the New Covenant provides. We drink of the same cup and benefit from Christ’s blood.
Think of it like this: if a father makes a will leaving his estate to his children, and then invites his children’s friends to share in the feast celebrating the inheritance, the friends benefit from the father’s generosity without being the primary heirs. Similarly, we Gentile believers are graciously included in New Covenant blessings without replacing Israel as the covenant people.
Israel’s full national experience of the New Covenant awaits the future. Ezekiel 36:24-28 describes this: “I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
This will be fulfilled when Israel recognises Jesus as Messiah at His return (Zechariah 12:10, Romans 11:26). Then they will experience the fullness of the New Covenant – forgiveness, spiritual renewal, and God’s Spirit dwelling within them as a nation.
How the Covenants Fit Together
These five covenants form an integrated whole, each building on the previous ones. The Abrahamic covenant provided the foundation – God chose Israel and promised them land, descendants, and blessing. The Mosaic covenant was temporary, revealing sin and providing the sacrificial system pointing to Christ. The Land covenant specified the terms of Israel’s relationship with the Promised Land. The Davidic covenant promised an eternal King from David’s line. The New Covenant provided for spiritual transformation and forgiveness through Christ’s blood.
Three of these covenants – Abrahamic, Davidic, and New – are unconditional and eternal. They depend on God’s faithfulness alone and will be completely fulfilled. The Mosaic covenant was conditional and temporary, fulfilled in Christ. The Land covenant is unconditional regarding ultimate fulfilment but conditional regarding temporal blessing.
All these covenants point to Jesus Christ. He is Abraham’s seed through whom all nations are blessed (Galatians 3:16). He is the prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15, Acts 3:22). He is David’s greater son who will sit on the throne forever (Luke 1:32-33). He is the mediator of the New Covenant whose blood brings forgiveness (Hebrews 9:15).
Why This Matters
Understanding these covenants is crucial for several reasons. First, they demonstrate God’s faithfulness. God makes promises and keeps them. If He did not keep His promises to Israel, we could not trust His promises to us.
Second, they provide the framework for biblical prophecy. We cannot understand passages about Israel’s future without understanding God’s covenant commitments. Replacement theology fails precisely because it ignores these covenants.
Third, they show God’s sovereign plan across history. From Abraham to Moses to David to Jesus to the still-future millennial kingdom, God is working out His purposes. History is not random – it is moving towards the fulfilment of God’s covenant promises.
Finally, they reveal God’s heart for relationship. God binds Himself to His people through solemn covenants. He commits Himself permanently. This is the kind of God we serve – utterly faithful, keeping His word across millennia despite human unfaithfulness.
Conclusion
The covenants with Israel – Abrahamic, Mosaic, Land, Davidic, and New – form the foundation of God’s relationship with His chosen people and the framework for understanding biblical prophecy. These covenants demonstrate God’s faithfulness, provide for Israel’s ultimate salvation and restoration, and point to Jesus Christ as their ultimate fulfilment. Whilst Gentile believers are graciously included in the blessings of the New Covenant through Christ, God’s specific covenant promises to Israel remain valid and will be literally fulfilled when Christ returns to establish His kingdom.
“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.” Deuteronomy 7:9
Bibliography
- Fruchtenbaum, Arnold. Israelology: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology. Ariel Ministries, 1993.
- Ryrie, Charles C. Dispensationalism. Revised and Expanded. Chicago: Moody Press, 1995.
- Pentecost, J. Dwight. Things to Come. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1958.
- Walvoord, John F. Israel in Prophecy. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1962.