Covenants are so important that they shape centuries of biblical history. The first use of the word “covenant” appears early in the Bible. After the account of Adam and his fallen descendants, God makes a covenant with Noah (Genesis 6:18). This is a covenant of mercy whereby Noah, his family and the animals are saved from the flood. Immediately after that, God extends a new “everlasting covenant” of mercy to all living creatures. He promises never to repeat such a devastating flood (Genesis 9:8-17 cf. 8:21-22). God places the rainbow in the sky as a special “sign of the covenant.”
The next major covenant was with Abraham. Like the rainbow covenant, the covenant with Abraham promised blessings for the entire world. This course is the first of two on the Bible’s covenants and their meaning for us today. The journey through Biblical covenants is enlightening and enriching, packed with surprising promises and their remarkable fulfilments. You will find your own life fulfilled also. We begin here with the basics. In this course, we seek the answer to the question, “To which covenant do we belong?”