A covenant is an agreement, alliance and pledge (in the Hebrew). Covenants have existed from the earliest of times in Scripture. Jacob had a covenant with Laban as to which animals of the flock would belong to Jacob (Gen. 31). The Gibeonites deceived the Israelites into making a covenant to not destroy them (Joshua 9), and David made a covenant with Jonathan (1 Sam. 8). Covenants between men are common.

God has also made covenants with men. His first covenant is recorded as being with Noah in saving them in the ark (Gen. 6:18), and then later with the sign of the rainbow to not ever destroy the world again with water (Gen. 9:12-16). God made a covenant with Abram established with specific promises (Gen. 12:1-3) and the sign of circumcision (Gen. 17:9-14). God made a covenant with the people of Israel to be their God and they would obey Him (Ex. 24:1-8). God had a covenant with King David that He would set a descendant of his on the throne (2 Sam. 7:12-17) which was fulfilled by Jesus (Luke 1:32-33; Acts 2:30-36; 13:34).

Just as a covenant was established with the Israelites, when we obey the gospel of Jesus Christ we are entering a covenant relationship with God! When He established the Lord’s Supper, Jesus said of the fruit of the vine, “this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:28). By His blood, a new covenant was established between men and God. A new covenant which had been promised by God (Jer. 31:31-33). The blood of Jesus is superior to the blood of animals sacrificed under the old covenant, thus the new covenant is better (Heb. 10:4, 11; 9:14). Hebrews presents more evidence by saying “He is the mediator of a new covenant” (9:15; 12:24), which is an “eternal covenant” (13:20).

Jeremiah was instructed to tell the Israelites “cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant which I commanded your forefathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying ‘Listen to My voice, and do according to all which I command you; so you shall be My people, and I will be your God’” (Jer. 11:3-4). We need to learn from the history of the Israelites that God will condemn those who break the covenant with Him. Our covenant is just as binding in that we need to keep all that God has commanded (Matt. 28:20). Just as Israel forsook their covenant and served other gods (Jer. 22:9), we also break the covenant with God when we choose to sin. It is a violation of the agreement.

We do not always see sin as being as serious a problem as it really is! Sin separates us from God (Is. 59:2) because we break the covenant to obey His commands. Our agreement was volunteered when we obeyed the gospel. We accept God’s conditions of salvation which He has extended. The blood of the covenant, given by Jesus, is what makes our covenant with God possible. Let’s avoid the righteous wrath of God by keeping ourselves true to the individual covenant we have established with Him.