17 The Covenants

The Hebrew word for covenant is berith and it means a binding agreement between two parties. At initiation it sometimes is one-sided and other times it is two sided. It can also be called a deal, pact, arrangement or treaty. One-sided meaning one party that has the stronger negotiating position can initiate and enforce the arrangement between the two parties. Frequently in the OT it was sealed by some blood sacrifice (Gen 15: 17).
There are eight major covenants that God has made with man. They explain the outworking of God’s purposes with man. They are:

1. The Edenic (Gen 2:16) God Commands Adam to eat freely of all but one tree.
2. The Adamic (Gen 3:15) Protoevangelim; God sets up the redeemer
3. The Noahic (Gen 9:16) Rainbow in the heavens signifies: Institutes Human Government; Protection of human life up to and including capital punishment; no additional ground curses will come from God including another universal flood; the order of nature is confirmed (weather comes for the first time); animal flesh is added to man’s diet; one of Ham’s sons, Canaan, will be servants to his brethren; Shem will have a peculiar relationship to the Lord (Jews and Christ); From Japheth will descend the enlarged races i.e. Government Science and Art (Gen 9: 27);
4. The Abrahamic (Gen12: 2)
5. The Palestinian or Land (Deut 30:3)
6. The Davidic (II Sam 7:16)
7. The Mosaic (Exodus 19:5)
8. The New