SAVING BONDS:

THE COVENANTS
CHAPTER FIVE
 We define a covenant in the Bible as an
agreement between God and His people.
God created us out of his unending love and
the desire for love in return. The covenants
that he made through the mediation of Adam,
Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus
reflects God’s demand for our reciprocal
devotion. Covenants were a well-known
concept for these ancient people. People
entered into covenants to strengthen the
bond between individuals, families, and
tribes. Covenants stand as one of the major
themes of the bible.
 The covenant with Adam required the first man and
woman to refrain from eating of the tree of
knowledge of good and evil. Because Adam and
Eve disobeyed God, sin entered the world as they
broke the covenant. The announcement of the
protoevangelium (first good news) occurred and
God promise to send a Redeemer. Sin and evil
continued to evolve. When man continued his
downward spiral, God decided to cleanse the earth
of evil in the story of Noah. The righteous Noah
and his family were spared as well as two of every
creature on the earth. After the flood, a rainbow
appeared as the sign of the covenant between
God and Noah.
 The Lord promised to never destroy humanity again in the
future. Humans were also entrusted with protecting the
sanctity of life.

 God established a covenant with Abraham. Because of his

great faith, Abraham is known as the “Father of the Jewish
people” He was the first and most important of the Jewish
Fathers. Abraham’s son, Isaac, and grandson, Jacob are
also considered the Patriarchs or Fathers of the Jewish
people. God promised that Abraham would become “a
great nation.” He also promised Abraham a land where his
people would dwell and have as many descendants as the
starts in the heavens. From these descendants, God would
send the Messiah to save His people. The people were
obliged to circumcise every male child when eight days old
as a sign of the covenant with God.
 God also forged a covenant with David.
Using the leadership skills of David, God
united the Israelites during David’s reign.
The heirs of David were promised
sovereignty over all the earth. God told
David that the Messiah would come from
his family line. To fulfill the covenant,
David has to build a temple for the Lord.
 During the Last Supper, Jesus told His
apostles that His Body and Blood would be
the central component of the new covenant.
When Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and
David entered into agreements with God, the
Old Testament figures sealed their covenants
with animal sacrifices and other symbolic
actions. In the New Testament, Jesus became
the centerpiece of the covenant. Jesus,
Himself, was sacrificed for the sake of the
new covenant. As the Lamb of God, Jesus
was killed for the sake of the sins of humanity
 Jesus fulfilled all of the
other covenants:
1. Adamic covenant – Jesus becomes the new Adam
and renews creation through His Death and
Resurrection.
2. Abrahamic covenant – Jesus establishes a universal
nation through His Church.
3. Mosaic covenant – Christ gives the world a new
commandment in loving God and neighbor. He
elevates the meaning of love and forgiveness
through his Sacred Cross.
4. Davidic covenant – Jesus builds a Church that
became the vessel for salvation
 We remember the “new and everlasting
covenant” of Jesus every time we celebrate
Mass. Christ invites all of His followers to
partake in the fruits of His sacrifice. His gifts
enables us to enjoy our eternal reward. Just
as God did with the Israelites, He desires our
participation in this sacred relationships. We
are all called to enter into this covenant with
God. Our love and fidelity is required to seal
this bond. Make your sacrifice for the Lord
and see how it delights Him. Build upon this
relationship every day.