What Are the Old & New Covenants in the Bible?
What Are the “Old & New Covenants” in the Bible?
God loved Abraham so much that he turned his descendants into an entire nation of “God’s chosen people.” God loved the ancient Israelites uniquely and treated them differently than the rest of humanity—He appeared to them, did miracles for them, and even lived with them. That alliance lasted thousands of years, but when Jesus came, that alliance was rewritten to include non-Israelites too.
Jesus’s story resembles Isaac’s really closely because it signals the start of a new alliance.
Two Supernatural Births
Jesus gets all the credit for being born miraculously, but Sarah (Abraham’s wife) was about 90 years old when she gave birth to Isaac.
“Your wife Sarah will become pregnant with your son. You can name him Isaac. I’ll establish an alliance with him that will remain in tact with his descendants.”
—Genesis 17:19 (Simple Bible)
A woman’s body naturally stops being able to have children around age 50, so at that point in history, Sarah’s pregnancy as a 90-year-old would have been unprecedented. Her supernatural pregnancy was a miracle that signaled the start of God’s alliance with the ancient Israelites.
So when Mary became pregnant in a way that was even more supernatural, Mary’s pregnancy signaled the start of an even more spectacular alliance.
Two Sacrificial Sons
When God asked Abraham to kill Isaac, that would have been really weird and confusing, but it foreshadowed how the Father (God) would eventually sacrifice his OWN Son.
“Abraham, take Isaac, your one-and-only son whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. When you get there I’ll show you a specific mountain. Climb it and present Isaac to me there as a roasted offering.”
—Genesis 22:2
Genesis 22:2 refers to Isaac as Abraham’s “only son” just like how John 3:16 refers to Jesus as God’s only son.
Genesis 22:7 refers to Isaac as a lamb, just like how the NT refers to Jesus as a lamb.
God’s alliance with Israel began when Abraham almost sacrificed his son. So when God actually DID sacrifice his son, it signaled the start of a new alliance which would be even greater.
Two Cross Bearers
Ironically, Abraham made Isaac carry the very firewood that he was supposed to be sacrificed on.
Abraham took the wood and put it on Isaac’s back for him to carry, while Abraham carried the fire and the knife.
—Genesis 22:6
So when Jesus was forced to carry the wooden cross he died on, it signaled the start of a new alliance.
Both Expanded God’s Family
God’s motive for forming the old covenant with Abraham was to include more people into His family. God allied with Abraham so that an entire country of people would become close to God.
But God terminated that old alliance with the Israelites, and started a new covenant through Jesus. God’s motive for revising the covenant was to include more people into His family. Instead of only being close with Abraham’s descendants, God now extended that invitation to EVERYONE.
God used Isaac to bring new people into His family, but He used Jesus to bring in EVEN MORE new people. In both cases, God sought to include more people into His family!