_{Handout 21}

The Abrahamic Covenant and the Sinai Covenant How they differ, which one applies to Christians; and, is either of them “unconditional”?

I. Review: The Five Major Covenants in the OT:

As mentioned before, the five major covenants in the Old Testament are:

• The covenant with Noah & the whole earth (Genesis 8 &9).
• The covenant with Abraham and his seed (Gen 12, 15, 17, 22).
• The covenant given through Moses to the nation of Israel at Mt. Sinai, which came with the 10 commandments and the rest of the law (Exodus 19 → Deuteronomy).
• The covenant with David, and his son (2 Sam 7 = 1 Chron 17; 1 Kgs 2 & 9; Ps 2, 89, & 132).
• The New covenant (Jer 31; also Ezek 36).

Of the five main covenants in the OT, the two which are the most important for understanding how the OT applies to Christians are: (1) the covenant with Abraham, and (2) the Sinai covenant.

Many Christians believe that the Sinai covenant is essentially a renewal of the Abrahamic covenant. They believe that they are basically the same covenant. However, we believe a careful study of the Scriptures shows that the Sinai covenant is a new and different covenant from the Abrahamic covenant. Galatians chs. 3 and 4 clearly treat them as two separate covenants. And yet they both pursue the overall purposes of God. A good way to put it is that → the two covenants are related but distinct.

II. The Abrahamic Covenant:

A. Main Passages & Main Dynamics of the Abrahamic Covenant

• Main passages:

  Genesis chapters 12, 15, 17, 22, also 50:24; Exodus 2:24, 3:15-17, 6:2-8; Psalm 105:7-11, 42; Jer 33:23-26; Micah 7:18-20. // In the NT, see: Luke 1:55, 72-73; John 8:31-59; Acts 3:24-26, 13:26-48; Rom 4:9-17; 15:7-12; Gal 3:6-14, 15-29; Heb 6:13-20.

  By Genesis chapter 11, the nations have been scattered as a result of the Tower of Babel. Then in Genesis 12, God chose one family, Abraham’s family. God will work through Abraham’s family to bring blessing to all families of the earth.

  God promises, in general, that He will bless Abraham and his seed, and that his presence will be with them. After that, there are three specific main promises that God makes to Abraham and his seed.

  Those three promises are:

  1. God will make them into a great nation;
  2. God will give them a land;

  3. Ultimately, all nations of the earth will be blessed through Abraham and his seed.

     This third promise is not an afterthought. Rather, it is the overall goal, it is the climax, of this covenant (Gen 12:2-3). Abraham and his physical offspring will be the earthly vessel through whom the blessings come. But the overall purpose is not merely to bless Abraham’s own earthly family. Rather, it is to bless all nations(!) through him / through his seed.

B. Some Important Observations & Clarifications regarding the Abrahamic covenant:

1. It is often assumed that the Abrahamic covenant is “with the nation of Israel,” but this is not accurate. The Abrahamic covenant is consistently said to be with “Abraham and his seed.” It is never said to be between God and “the sons of Israel,” i.e., Israel-as-a-nation.

   Further, the Old Testament never fully equates the seed of Abraham to the nation of Israel. They do overlap; many sons of Israel are true children of Abraham. So they overlap, but they are not identical. And the Old Testament never equates them.

   “The sons of Israel”. When the OT is referring to the nation of Israel, to the "flesh & blood Israelites," it uses the expression: "the sons of Israel." This is often translated "the children of Israel," or simply, "the Israelites." But the literal wording is "the sons of Israel." So, for example, when Israel is going to battle or is harvesting a crop, the text never says, "So the seed of Abraham gathered the crop . . ." It always and only reads, "So the sons of Israel gathered the crop . . .". Or, “the sons of Israel went to battle . . .", etc. This distinction is consistent throughout the entire Old Testament.
   
   This is why it is important to note that the promises to Abraham are not said to be with the "sons of Israel," but rather, they are with "Abraham and his seed." See Gal 3:16.

   So the Abrahamic covenant is not with Israel-as-a-nation; it is with the seed of Abraham. Therefore the Abrahamic promises are not unique to Israel.

2. The sign of this covenant is circumcision (Gen 17).

3. While this covenant is guaranteed by the oath of God, it is possible for individuals to scorn it and therefore to fail to inherit its blessings (see esp. Gen 17, Ps 37 & Ps 50:16-23).

   Genesis 18:19, Gen 22:15–18, and Gen 26:5 refer to the conditions needed to be blessed by this covenant. Therefore it is misleading to call it ‘unconditional’ without explaining what you mean. It is better to say that the covenant has conditions, but that it also comes with a guarantee from God that some people will(!) believe and will be(!) blessed. We elaborate on this in ¶ C below.

4. In particular, this covenant does provide that a remnant of Abraham’s physical seed through Isaac and Jacob (i.e., the Israelites) will inherit the promises. Hence Israel will endure as a nation/people group, and a remnant of them will also believe (there will be a believing remnant within the physical remnant).

5. However, nowhere does the OT promise that all Israelites will inherit the Abrahamic blessings. Israelites who scorn God will perish (see esp. Exod 32:33, Deut 28, Ps 50, Isa 1, Micah 2:5, and the prophets, in general). The NT agrees with this; see Jesus in John 8:31-47; Paul in Romans 9:1-8, 27-29.

6. The Land. Similarly, nowhere does the Old Testament ever state that Gentiles will not share in the promised land. Rather, several passages indicate that Gentiles will also inherit it.

   In specific, it has been mistakenly assumed that if the land is promised “to Israel,” it is promised to Israel alone. But the OT never actually says that the land is promised to Israel alone. And a number of passages clearly say otherwise. It is those who revere God, even Gentiles, who are “God’s people,” and who will inherit the land. See Ps 37; Ps 87; Isa 14:1-2; 19:18-25; 49:6; 56:3-7; Ezek 47:22!; Zech 2:10-13; Zech 8, esp. vv. 22-23; Mal 3:16-18, 4:1-3.

7. In like manner, this is why God calls Abraham “a father of a multitude of nations” (Gen 17:4-5). This is repeated to Isaac (Gen 28:3) and to Jacob (Gen 48:4). Paul applies this expression directly to believing Gentiles in Romans 4:16-17 (see similarly Eph 2:11-3:6, and Gal 3:26-29).

C. A Major Question: Is the Abrahamic Covenant “unconditional”?

It is often said that “the Abrahamic covenant is unconditional” = “the promises to Abraham are unconditional.” It is understandable that people think these promises are “unconditional.” But if we look closely at the biblical data, that is not what it teaches.

To begin with, what do we mean by “unconditional”? Do we mean that an Israelite could reject God and scorn God with his dying breath, but would receive the promised Abrahamic blessings? Does Scripture anywhere affirm the idea that God will ultimately bless those who scorn him? We think not. Consider the following passages:

• 1 Sam 2:30 [When God pronounces judgment upon Eli & his sons.]

  “Therefore the LORD God of Israel declares, ‘. . . , ‘Far be it from Me– for those who honor Me I will honor, but those who despise Me will be disdained.

• Joshua 5:6 [When God recalls the judgment He had pronounced on the generation who did not believe him to [+ Ps 95] enter the promised land (see Numbers 13 & 14, the 12 spies, & the resulting 40 yrs. of wandering).]

  For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished, because they did not obey the voice of the LORD; the LORD swore to them that he would not let them see the land that the LORD had sworn to their fathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey.

• Matt 3:7–10 [= Luke 3:7–9]

  7 But when he [John the Baptist] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

  See similarly: John chs. 8 & 10; Lev 18:24–26; Deut 7:9–12; 1 Kgs 9:6-9; Ezek 13:1-16.

  Then consider the following passages on the Abrahamic covenant / promises, in specific:

• Gen 17:9–14, esp. v. 14. [After the requirement of circumcision is given to Abraham.]

  14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

• Gen 18:18 &19, esp. v. 19. [When the three angels visit Abraham on the way to Sodom & Gomorrah.]

  18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”

• Gen 22:15-18 [After Abraham is faithful to offer up Isaac, and the angel of the LORD intervenes.]

  15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

• Gen 26:2–5, esp. v. 5. [When God reaffirms the promises to Isaac.]

  2 The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws.”

  See similarly: Num 14:20-23, & Num 32:8-15, esp. v. 11; and Deut 1:34-26.

Conclusion:

The above verses make it clear that there is a conditional dynamic to the Abrahamic promises. Namely, the person must have genuine faith in God. Thus it is not accurate to describe the Abrahamic promises / covenant as “unconditional” without quickly clarifying what we mean.

In sum:

The Abrahamic covenant guarantees that there will be a ‘seed’ of Abraham to whom God will deliver the promised blessings. That ‘seed’ is all who believe, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. And among them, there will be(!) a believing remnant of Abraham’s physical seed (Lev 26:44; Jer 31:35-37; 33:19-26) who will inherit the blessings promised to Abraham.

III. The Sinai Covenant:

Main passages: Exodus 19-40, the entire book of Leviticus, part of Numbers and most of Deuteronomy.  The foundational passage is Exod 19-24.

At Mt. Sinai, Israel-as-a-nation enters into a covenantal relationship with God for the first time. In the ‘Sinai covenant’, Yahweh offers Israel that if they worship him alone as God, obey him fully and keep his covenant, then out of all the nations they will be his “special people / special treasure” (Exod 19:5:6).

Unlike the Abrahamic covenant, which is with “Abraham and his seed,” the Sinai covenant is consistently said to be with “the sons of Israel.” That is, it is with Israel-as-a-nation, collectively.

The laws (the 10 Commandments and the rest of the law) are the requirements, the stipulations, of this covenant. This covenant was ratified by blood in Exodus 24, in which “the sons of Israel” gave their pledge and were placed under the covenant.

The sign of this covenant is the Sabbath (Exod 20:8-11; 31:12-17).

To be specific: If Israel honors God and obeys the laws:

• In general, God will bless them tremendously, and will expand to them Abrahamic-like blessings (peace and prosperity for a long time in the promised land). This is emphasized in Deuteronomy.
• In particular, God explicitly offers to bless Israel above (!) the other nations if(!) she keeps the covenant = worships Yahweh alone and obeys his law; see esp. Deut 7:14; 26:16-19; 28:1.
• Further, God’s special, dramatic presence [“Shekinah glory”] will go with them (as evidenced by the cloud by day/fire by night, and by His presence in the tabernacle & later in the temple; see Exod 34:10-11, Exod 40:33-38; Lev 9, esp. 22-23; 1 Kings 8:1-11; 2 Chron 7:1-3).

But if they disobey God →

He will punish them. And if they altogether break the covenant, and serve other gods, then He will invoke the curses of the covenant. He will judge them severely, spit them out of the land, and end this covenant. The two passages which set forth the blessing ↔ curse alternatives most clearly are Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28.

Some Clarifications regarding the Sinai Covenant and the Law:

1. This covenant with its law was never given to be a means of salvation. Salvation has been always and only based on repentance and faith = a right heart attitude toward God.

2. The fundamental laws of God (honor God, love your neighbor, no murder, theft or adultery, etc.) did not originate with the Sinai covenant. The 10 Commandments were not altogether new in Exodus 20.

   Rather, God’s law was spelled out and recorded in detail as part of the Sinai covenant. The fundamental law of God reflects God’s unchanging nature and character, and therefore remains the same today (and always), because God does not change.

3. The Law, by implication and extension, condemns us all as sinners, and shows our need of God’s forgiveness. However, it was not given only for that purpose. When Israel honored God and obeyed his Law well (as under Joshua, Solomon, Josiah, etc.), Israel was blessed, just as God had said.

4. The Sinai covenant = the Mosaic covenant = “the Law,” is what the Bible refers to as the “Old Covenant.” Hence → the Old Covenant ≠ the Old Testament. The Old Testament is the conventional label for all the books from Genesis to Malachi. The Old Covenant is the Sinai covenant.

The Outcome of the Sinai Covenant between God and Israel:

The Old Testament testifies that although there were times when Israel served God well and therefore enjoyed the blessings of the Sinai covenant, she was generally unfaithful to God. Israel eventually broke the Sinai covenant altogether (Hos 8:1; Jer 11:10, 31:32; Ezek. 44:7). God then executed the curses of the covenant, destroyed Jerusalem & the temple, and spewed Israel out of the land (587 B.C., under Nebuchadnezzar & the Babylonians).

Usually, once the curses of a covenant are executed, the covenant is over. However, in the case of the Sinai covenant, that is not what happened. Among the main passages that show that it continued are: Dan 11:28–30, & Haggai 2:4–5. And Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai & Malachi are clear that Israel is to continue to obey the Law, the “Torah of Moses.” Finally, Hebrews 8:13 says the “old covenant” (= Sinai) is “obsolescent, and is passing away”, which implies that is had not quite yet passed away as of that that writing. But it would, shortly thereafter.

IV. How the Sinai Covenant is Distinct from the Abrahamic:

As we mentioned earlier, many Christians believe that the Sinai covenant is essentially a renewal of the Abrahamic covenant. They believe that they are basically the same covenant. The professor does not think they are the same covenant.

But why does this matter? It matters because –

• It affects how we think the Old Testament still does—or does not—apply to Christians. . It affects how we think the New Testament interprets the Old Testament. . And it in particular, it affects how we understand the future of the promised land. Is the land promised “to Israel”?

Here is a list of several differences between the Abrahamic covenant and the Sinai covenant:

1. The Abrahamic covenant was ratified before the Israelites went down into Egypt. The sign of the covenant: circumcision (Gen 17:9–17).

   The Sinai covenant was ratified over 400 years later, after the Israelites came out of Egypt. It has its own sign: the Sabbath (Exod 31:12–17).

2. The Sinai covenant is with Israel as-a-nation (“the sons of Israel”), collectively.

   The nation will be blessed collectively, or punished collectively, for obedience to the covenant.

   The Abrahamic covenant was not with Israel as an entire nation. It involves Israel, and guarantees that a remnant of Israelites will be saved. But is not with Israel as-a-nation. It is with “Abraham and his seed.” // From the rest of Scripture we learn that the seed of Abraham are individuals who have faith like Abraham’s faith, whether Jew or Gentile. That is, it is with all true believers

3. Therefore the Abrahamic covenant applies to Christians. Romans 4 and Galatians 3 state this directly. On the other hand, Christians are not directly under the Sinai covenant.

4. In the Sinai covenant, Israel makes the pledge, and thus the blessings depend upon Israel’s obedience.

   In the Abrahamic covenant, God takes the oath, and the blessings are guaranteed by the oath, the faithfulness, and the power of God.

5. Again, the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant are guaranteed & certain. Yet there is a condition: for individuals to personally inherit them, they must have genuine faith.

   In the Sinai covenant, the blessings are entirely conditional because they are based on Israel’s obedience. There are no guarantees.

6. The Sinai covenant resembles a vassal-covenant / vassal treaty.

   The Abrahamic covenant resembles a promissory covenant.

7. The Sinai covenant is clearly with Israel, and sets Israel apart from the other nations. Its direct blessings apply to her. In it, God explicitly offers to bless Israel above the other nations if(!) they will honor him and obey the stipulations of the covenant, i.e., the laws. [However, under the Sinai covenant, Israel can be a “light to the nations” (Isa 42:6, 49:6).]

   The Abrahamic covenant does not offer to bless Israel “above” the nations. Nor does it promise that the blessings of Abraham’s physical offspring will be greater than those of his Gentile offspring. The ultimate goal of the Abrahamic covenant is to bring blessing to all nations.

   There is one blessing in the Abrahamic covenant that is unique to Israel. It is this: Israel has the privilege of being the earthly vessel through whom the blessings come. But the Abrahamic covenant does not offer to bless Israel greater than, or even different from, the Gentiles.

8. In the Sinai covenant, God offers to bless Israel as a nation “right here, right now.”

   In contrast, the ultimate fulfillment of the Abrahamic blessings is clearly in the future.

9. The Abrahamic covenant never pronounces any curse for those who are under it. Those who are under it are not cursed. [Because they are genuine believers.]

   But under the Sinai covenant, the Israelites are clearly under the threat of a curse if they scorn and disobey God (Lev 26, Deut 28).

10. Since the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant endure forever and are guaranteed by God, the Abrahamic covenant is eternal.

    On the other hand, the Sinai covenant can come to an end if Israel breaks it and God invokes the curses. The book of Hebrews calls it “the old covenant,” and says that it is “obsolete and is passing away” (Heb 8:13).

V. Summary of the Contrasts between Abraham & Sinai:

We submit that the Sinai covenant is not a renewal of the Abrahamic covenant. They are not essentially the same covenant. Rather, the Sinai covenant was a new and different covenant, that was established 400 years after the Abrahamic covenant was established.

The Abrahamic covenant:

It is ultimately with individuals who have faith like Abraham’s faith, whether Jew or Gentile. It applies to Christians. Yet it guarantees that there will be a remnant of believing Israelites who will inherit its promises. Its blessings are guaranteed, but their ultimate fulfillment may not come for a long time. The land and the “great nation” promise are part of this covenant. The Abrahamic covenant contains no curse for those who are under it; those who are under it are not cursed. The Abrahamic covenant endures.

The Sinai covenant:

It is with Israel as a nation; it offers to bless Israel above the other nations, if(!) they honor Yahweh alone as God, and keep the covenant stipulations (= the Law). But it guarantees nothing. It offers “right here, right now” blessings for genuine obedience. Yet Sinai also threatens a curse for those who are under it; those who are under it may be cursed by not obeying it.

Although the Sinai covenant is temporary, nonetheless, it reflects an enduring two-part principle:

1. It expresses the enduring obligation of the creature to serve the Creator.
2. Yet it also shows us that Yahweh rewards those who serve Him faithfully.

Both of these covenants pursue the overall purposes of God. But they are not the same covenant. They are related, but distinct covenants. Understanding them correctly, and keeping them separate, is the key to understanding the Old Testament.