Covenant

A covenant is, at its most fundamental, a solemn pledge made by two or more persons to observe an agreed upon action. It may be informal, such as we see between David and Jonathan (1 Sam 23:18), even though the consequences upon which they had decided were enormous, involving the throne of Israel, such as it was. Covenants can also be highly formal, in which case the terms and conditions by which the two parties are to relate to one another afterwards are written down, with blessings and curses included to emphasize the depth of commitment to which the parties are bound, and a third party/s called to be witnesses. We now have a abundance of ancient documentary evidences to indicate that, in the world of the ancient Near East in which Israel lived, almost all formal diplomatic relationships between nations, and often between individal persons as well, were sealed by some form of covenant or another. It is not surprising therefore that covenant, and the assumptions of covenantal relationship, should soak the Old and New Testament as water does a wet sponge or as glue that "often invisible but it served the all-important function of binding and holding things together" (Tan Kim Huat)). Recognition of this fact by scholars and theologians is plentifully evident in the huge amounts of literature on the subject, and no modern biblical and theological exposition of the Bible is even merely adequate if the subject does not find some significant place in it. Even a long summary of the subject in the space here will do it injustice and can only be misleading for the subject is so multiplex and drives right to the heart of God and His promises. An fuller article on the subject is planned for ALBERITH. Meanwhile we hope the following resources will help whet your appetite (we suggest you begin with the four lectures by J. A. Motyer).

Recommended Reading:

Jamie A. Grant and Alistair I. Wilson, eds., The God of Covenant. Biblical, theological and contemporary perspectives. Leicester: Apollos, 2005. This book is a collection of papers presented at a Tyndale House conference in Cambridge. It is an excellent introduction to the subject, and the eclectic nature of the papers shows the many directions the discussion can go, a reflection of the importance of the covenant in biblical-theological thingking.

Media Resources

David Pawson has the following expositions and conference addresses on biblical covenants:

Covenants. Two addresses delivered in Barnstaple, 2016. Video

Biblical Covenants. Three studies, 2013. Video

The Five Covenants of God. 3 studies. 2009.

Proclamation Trust. Theological Students Conference, 1994. Alec Motyer.
"1. Covenant Beginnings: Noah & Abraham".
"2. The Covenant Norm: Moses, The Passover & the Law".
"3. Convenant Perfection: The Perfection that Has Come".Audio N

Dr Richard Pratt, Jr. (presenter), Kingdom, Covenants & Canon of the Old Testament. Third Millennium Ministries. 4 lectures. Various formats available: Video, audio, Word/Pdf.

Dr Simon Vibert (Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University,presenter), Kingdom & Covenants in the New Testament. Third Millennium Ministries. 3 lectures. Various formats available: Video, audio, Word/Pdf.

Print Resources (the following has been arranged in an order from the general and introductory to the more specialized.):

☰. David Pawson is one of the most renowned British expositors of the Bible. Here is a treasure trove of expositions on covenant.

☰ David W. Baker, "The Mosaic Covenant Against its Environment," Ashland Theological Journal 20 (Winter 1989): 9-18.

☰ Roger T. Beckwith, "The Unity and Diversity of God's Covenants" Tyndale Bulletin 38 (1987) 93-118.

☰ Roger T. Beckwith, "The Unity and Diversity of God's Covenants," Tyndale Bulletin 38 (1987): 93-118.

☰ K.M. Campbell, "The Messianic Covenant," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 15.3 (Summer 1972): 181-185.

☰ H.L. Ellison, "The Covenant Concept in Hosea," Terminal Letter of the Theological Students' Fellowship 30 (Summer 1961): 5-9.

☰ Keith H. Essex, "The Abrahamic Covenant," The Master's Seminary Journal 10.2 (Fall 1999): 191-212.

☰ F. C. Fensham, "The Covenant as Giving Expression to the Relationship Between Old and New Testament," Tyndale Bulletin 22 (1971): 82-94.

☰ David Instone-Brewer, "Three Weddings and a Divorce: God's Covenant with Israel, Judah and the Church" Tyndale Bulletin 47.1 (1996) 1-25.

☰ William L. Lane, "Covenant: The Key to Paul's Conflict with Corinth," Tyndale Bulletin 33 (1982): 3-29.

☰ Michael F. Bird, "Justification as Forensic Declaration and Covenant Membership A Via Media Between Reformed and Revisionist Readings of Paul," Tyndale Bulletin 57.1 (2006): 109-130.

A☰ Aaron Chalmers, "The Importance of the Noahic Covenant to Biblical Theology." Tyndale Bulletin 60 (2009):207-217.

☰ Jonathan Gibson, "Covenant Continuity and Fidelity: Inner-Biblical Allusion and Exegesis in Malachi" Tyndale Bulletin 66 (2015):313.

☰ G. S. Harrison, "The Covenant, Baptism and Children" Tyndale Bulletin 9 (1961) 3-14.

☰ Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., "The old promise and the New Covenant: Jeremiah 31:31-34," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 15.1 (Winter 1972): 11-23.

☰ Mark W. Karlberg, "Recovering te Mosaic Covenant as Law and Gospel: J. Mark Beach, John H. Sailhamer, and Jason C. Meyer as representative expositors," Evangelical Quarterly 83.3 (July 2011): 233-260.

☰ Kenneth A. Kitchen, "The Fall and Rise of Covenant, Law and Treaty" (Review Article) Tyndale Bulletin 40.1 (1989) 118-135.

☰ William L. Lane, "Covenant: The Key to Paul's Conflict with Corinth" Tyndale Bulletin 33 (1982) 3-29.

☰ J. A. Motyer, Old Testament Covenant Theology

☰ Alec Motyer, "Covenant and Promise," Evangel 1.1 (1983): 2-4.

☰ Alec Motyer, "The Normative Covenant," Evangel 1.2 (1983):3-5.

☰ Alec Motyer, "Covenant, Law and Sacrifice," Evangel 1.3 (1983): 3-5.

☰ Alec Motyer, "The Perfection of the Covenant," Evangel 1.4 (1983): 3-5.

☰ John Murray, The Covenant of Grace. London: The Tyndale Press, 1954. Pbk. pp.32.

☰ D. F. Payne, "The Everlasting Covenant," Tyndale Bulletin 7-8 (1961): 10-16.

☰ Ronald W. Pierce, "Covenant Coditionality and a Future for Israel," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 37.1 (March 1994): 27-38,

☰ Donald W.B. Robinson, Josiah's Reform and the Book of the Law. London: The Tyndale Press, 1951. pp.40.

☰ Cleon L. Rogers, Jr., "The covenant with Moses and its historical setting," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 14.3 (Summer 1971): 140-155.

☰ Mark A. Snoeberger, "Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants: A Review Article," Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal 17 (Fall 2012): 99-103.