COVENANT - Old Testament
INTRODUCTION
Throughout biblical history God has established a relationship with his created beings through agreements incorporating some form of obligation in return for a future promise or blessing. These agreements are defined by biblical scholars as Covenants.
The major covenants of the Old Testament include those that are either: universally applicable to all of humanity, or particular to chosen individuals and by extension the chosen people of Israel. Matthew Charlesworth SJ, drawing on the work of Cyrus Ingerson Scofield,
The Scofield Study Bible, further categorised these into the Covenants of Creation and the Covenants of Redemption.
THE COVENANTS OF CREATION
The Covenants of Creation which include the Edenic, Adamic and Noahic covenants, are distinguished by their communication prior to the flood and encompassing a universal pledge to all humanity.
Edenic Covenant
The Edenic Covenant, made between God and Adam, in the Garden, concerns man before the fall and is marked by the promise of blessings, with the condition that the tree of knowledge should not be touched or eaten from (Gen 3:3). This covenant is characterised by the partnership between Man and Woman (Gen 2:18) and the promise of their dominion over the plants and animals (Gen 1:29) and over the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:15).
Adamic Covenant
The Ademic Covenant is a result of the disobedience (Gen 3:6) to the conditions set in the Edenic Covenant. The awareness by Adam and Eve of their shame and sin (Gen 3:7) obliged God to create a new covenant, marked by curse, on humanity universally. Woman is cursed to be subordinate to man and labour in childbirth (Gen 3:16), while man is to henceforth to toil and labour for his sustenance (Gen 3:17-19). This highlighted a pattern of consequences should future covenants be broken. Aside from the curses, there was a promise of future redemption (Gen 3:14-15).
Noahic Covenant
After some time, the inhabitants of earth...