Three Types of Biblical Covenants: Understanding God's Character Through Covenant Context

In this detailed exploration, Liam and Dean examine the three distinct types of biblical covenants that provide essential framework for proper Scripture interpretation. Through careful analysis of grant covenants (like Abraham's), kinship covenants (like Moses'), and vassal covenants, they demonstrate how understanding covenant context resolves apparent contradictions in God's character between Old and New Testament revelation. The episode provides compelling evidence showing how God's responses to Israel's transgressions changed dramatically before and after the Mosaic law was instituted, revealing that covenant obligations rather than divine inconsistency explain these differences. This foundational teaching demonstrates why Jesus serves as the ultimate revelation of God's true nature and how the new covenant restores the grace-based relationship originally intended for humanity.

The episode establishes that three distinct covenant types existed in ancient Near Eastern culture and appear throughout Scripture: grant covenants (greater party blessing lesser party unconditionally), kinship covenants (equal parties with mutual obligations), and vassal covenants (greater party dominating lesser party). Understanding these structures provides essential interpretive framework for Scripture.

Abraham's covenant represents a grant covenant where God unconditionally promises blessings based on His character rather than Abraham's performance. The repeated "I will" statements demonstrate grace-based relationship that requires only faith for activation, establishing the pattern for New Testament salvation.

The Mosaic covenant represents a kinship covenant with mutual obligations, blessings for obedience, and curses for disobedience. God's dramatically different responses to identical transgressions before and after this covenant was established demonstrate that covenant context, not divine inconsistency, explains apparent contradictions in God's character.

Jesus serves as the ultimate revelation of God's true nature, coming not merely to establish law 2.0 but to fully reveal the Father's character that had been obscured by covenant obligations under the law. His statements like "if you have seen me, you have seen the Father" become revolutionary when understood against covenant background.

Biblical Foundation

Primary Scriptures Referenced:

• Genesis 15:18 & 17:1-8 - Abrahamic grant covenant with unconditional "I will" promises

• Exodus 19:5 - Conditional Mosaic covenant: "If you obey me and keep my covenant"

• Exodus 15:22-17:7 - Pre-law incidents with minimal divine response to complaints

• Numbers 11:1-34, 15:32-36, 21:4-9 - Post-law incidents with severe divine judgment

• 2 Corinthians 3 - Law as "ministry of death" versus ministry of righteousness

Supporting Biblical Connections:

• Hebrews 9:11-17 - Christ as mediator of better covenant through His blood

• John 3:17 - Jesus came not to condemn but to save the world

• John 14:9 - "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father"

• Matthew 5:21-48 - Jesus' "you have heard it said, but I say" teachings

• Luke 9:51-56 - James and John wanting to call down fire, Jesus' rebuke

• Galatians 3:19-25 - Law as tutor until Christ came

Quotes

Dean (on covenant types): "There were three main types of covenants in ancient history: grant covenant where a greater party blesses a lesser party based on the greater party's goodness, kinship covenant where two equal parties agree with blessings and curses, and vassal covenant where one party dominates another."

Liam (on God's changed responses): "Before the law was given, the Israelites grumbling led to no punishment. After the law at Mount Sinai, the same grumbling led to destroying fire, killing plagues, and death by stoning. This wasn't because God was finally fed up - it was because of the covenant they had agreed to."

Dean (on Jesus revealing God): "Jesus doesn't only come to die for sin and bring a new covenant. He comes to show us who God truly is because people were confused. When Jesus says 'if you've seen me, you've seen the Father,' that's absolutely radical because of the covenant context."

Liam (on divine character): "I cannot subscribe to a gospel where I'm a better father than He is. Understanding the law and the covenant of Moses puts into context why God was the way He was with the Israelite people and why He seems so contradictory to how He is now."

Discussion Questions from the Episode

The hosts posed several direct questions for listener consideration:

• How do the three types of biblical covenants help us understand God's character?

• Why did God respond so differently to similar transgressions before and after the law was given?

• What does it mean that Jesus came to fully reveal the Father rather than just establish improved religion?

• How does covenant context change our interpretation of difficult Old Testament passages?

Extended Reflection Questions

• How does understanding that the Abrahamic covenant was a grant covenant (unconditional blessing) versus the Mosaic covenant being a kinship covenant (conditional obligations) change your understanding of salvation by grace through faith?

• In what ways might you be interpreting current life circumstances through Mosaic covenant thinking rather than new covenant grace?

• What would change in your Bible reading if you consistently applied covenant context to understand why God acted differently under different covenant structures?

• How does recognising that Jesus came to reveal God's true character rather than establish religion 2.0 transform your understanding of the gospel message?

• Consider areas where you may view God as inconsistent or contradictory - how might covenant theology provide resolution to these theological difficulties?

• What does it mean practically that we are now in another grant covenant where blessings flow from God's goodness rather than our performance?

  
  

Implementation Steps

When reading Old Testament passages, identify the covenant context to properly understand God's actions and character revelation. Before concluding that God is harsh or inconsistent, examine whether covenant obligations explain the divine responses recorded in Scripture.

Practice

Interpreting current life circumstances through new covenant grace rather than Mosaic covenant performance expectations. When facing difficulties, resist the temptation to view them as divine punishment and instead seek God's character as revealed through Jesus Christ.

Weekly Challenge

Read Old Testament passages with covenant context in mind, asking what type of covenant relationship governs each situation. Notice how…this framework resolves apparent contradictions and reveals consistent divine character throughout Scripture.

Father, thank You for providing covenant context that helps me understand Your consistent character throughout Scripture.

Remove any confusion about Your nature that comes from misunderstanding covenant relationships. Help me to see You clearly through Jesus Christ rather than through the lens of performance-based covenant thinking. May I rest in the grant covenant of grace where Your blessings flow from Your goodness rather than my performance or my ways.

Amen.

Episode Timestamps

Additional Resources Mentioned: Ancient Near Eastern covenant structure studies providing historical context for biblical covenant relationships. Biblical archaeology resources demonstrating covenant practices in ancient cultures and their application to Scripture interpretation.

Internal Links: This episode builds directly upon Episode 5's introduction to covenant theology while providing detailed framework for understanding specific covenant types. Future content will explore new covenant applications and practical implications for Christian living.

External Authority Links: Connect with established theological resources on ancient Near Eastern covenant structures focused on covenant interpretation, and systematic theology addressing apparent contradictions in divine character from recognised biblical institutions.

Continue developing proper biblical interpretation skills by studying covenant contexts in Scripture passages that have previously seemed confusing or contradictory.

Apply covenant theology framework to resolve theological difficulties and gain clearer understanding of God's consistent character. Share this content with others struggling to reconcile Old and New Testament pictures of God or experiencing confusion about divine character.

Foundation for Biblical Interpretation

Liam and Dean establish the critical importance of covenant understanding for proper Scripture interpretation, asserting that without covenant context, believers cannot develop healthy hermeneutics for understanding God's actions in the Old Testament or explaining apparent differences between Old and New Testament revelation of divine character.

The hosts emphasise that covenant theology provides essential framework for resolving theological difficulties that have troubled believers for centuries, particularly questions about why God appears different in various biblical periods and how to reconcile seemingly contradictory divine responses to similar situations.

Three Types of Ancient Covenants

Dean provides comprehensive overview of three covenant types that existed throughout ancient Near Eastern cultures and appear consistently in Scripture. The grant covenant involves a greater party unconditionally blessing a lesser party based on the greater party's goodness and power rather than the recipient's merit or performance.

The kinship covenant brings two equal parties together in mutual agreement with specified blessings for compliance and curses for violation. This represents the most common covenant type in human relationships, including marriage, business partnerships, and international treaties between nations of similar strength.

The vassal covenant occurs when a greater party dominates a lesser party through superior power, establishing terms through force rather than negotiation. Historical examples include powerful empires subjugating smaller nations or Egypt's relationship with enslaved Israel before the Exodus.

Abraham's Grant Covenant

The discussion examines Abraham's covenant in Genesis 15 and 17, highlighting the repeated "I will" statements that demonstrate unconditional divine promises based on God's character rather than Abraham's performance. This covenant requires only faith for activation, establishing the pattern for New Testament salvation by grace through faith.

Abraham's covenant occurs before the Mosaic law was given, demonstrating that grace-based relationship with God represents the original divine intent rather than an afterthought or improvement on law-based systems. The circumcision sign sealed this covenant but did not create conditional obligations for maintaining divine favour.

The hosts emphasise that believers have been grafted into Abrahamic promises rather than Mosaic obligations, explaining why Jesus is identified as "son of Abraham" and "son of David" but never "son of Moses" in Matthew's genealogy.

Israel at Mount Sinai

The conversation explores Israel's pivotal moment at Mount Sinai where God invited the entire nation to become priests unto Him, representing an opportunity for grant covenant relationship similar to Abraham's experience. The people's fearful rejection of direct divine encounter led to Moses serving as mediator for the law covenant.

Dean provides crucial context for understanding Israel's response, noting that four hundred years of slavery in Egypt had eliminated their knowledge of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Their fear reflected unfamiliarity with divine character rather than appropriate reverence for known goodness.

The Mosaic covenant represents a kinship covenant with mutual obligations, establishing the conditional relationship described in Exodus 19:5: "If you obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my special treasure." This fundamental shift from unconditional promise to conditional blessing creates the framework for understanding subsequent divine responses.

Before and After Law Comparison

The episode provides compelling evidence demonstrating how God's responses to identical transgressions changed dramatically before and after the Mosaic law was instituted. Pre-law incidents of grumbling about food, water, and circumstances resulted in minimal divine response, typically involving gentle correction or provision without punishment.

Post-law incidents involving identical complaints resulted in severe judgment including destroying fire, killing plagues, death by stoning, and deadly serpents. These dramatic differences reflect covenant obligations rather than divine inconsistency, with God functioning as judge and executioner of agreed-upon terms.

The hosts emphasise that this transformation did not result from God becoming more impatient or fed up with Israel's behaviour, noting that far worse transgressions occurred before the law without comparable judgment. The covenant structure itself explains the changed dynamic.

Jesus as Ultimate Revelation

The discussion establishes that Jesus came not merely to establish improved religion or law 2.0, but to fully reveal the Father's true character that had been obscured by covenant obligations under the law. His revolutionary statements like "if you have seen me, you have seen the Father" become comprehensible only against covenant background.

Jesus consistently challenged law-based thinking through His "you have heard it said, but I say" teachings, demonstrating that His mission involved revealing divine heart rather than establishing stricter religious requirements. His rebuke of James and John for wanting to call down fire reveals how law covenant thinking distorted understanding of God's nature.

The hosts emphasise that Jesus represents complete divine revelation rather than partial improvement, making statements like John 3:17 ("I came not to condemn the world but to save it") and establishing the ministry of reconciliation rather than condemnation.

New Covenant as Grant Covenant

The episode concludes by establishing that the new covenant represents another grant covenant where blessings flow from God's goodness rather than human performance. Believers are saved by grace through faith, paralleling Abraham's experience of righteousness credited through faith rather than works.

The new covenant exists between Father and Son as human, with believers grafted into this relationship through union with Christ. This provides absolute security because covenant stability depends on the unchanging divine relationship rather than human compliance with religious requirements.

Liam's declaration that he cannot subscribe to a gospel where he is a better father than God provides powerful testimony to the superior nature of new covenant grace compared to law-based religious systems that present God as harsh or inconsistent.

The conversation addresses practical implications for daily Bible reading and interpretation, emphasising that covenant context transforms understanding of difficult Old Testament passages and resolves apparent contradictions in divine character.

Rather than viewing God as inconsistent, believers can understand covenant obligations as explaining different divine responses. The hosts stress that this framework eliminates confusion about God's nature while preserving the holiness and goodness of the law as divine standard. The law serves its intended purpose as tutor revealing need for grace rather than providing permanent basis for divine relationship.

Understanding covenant context also prevents misapplying Old Testament passages to new covenant believers or interpreting current circumstances through Mosaic covenant performance expectations rather than new covenant grace realities.