Series Three--Knowing God

Session One: Old Covenants

Question: "Let's talk about the different covenants in the Bible."

Scripture references: Genesis 9:8-17; Genesis 15; Exodus 6:2-8; Deuteronomy 5:1-22; 2 Samuel 7:8-17

Prepare copies of this handout to be filled in by participants during the discussion.

	Genesis 9	Genesis 15	Exodus 6	Deut. 5	2 Samuel 7
Who initiated? (suzerain)
Who benefited?
What was promised?
What were the conditions?
What was the guarantee/sign?

Here is the key to the responses:
Gen. 9--God, Noah, whole earth, no flood, none, rainbow
Gen. 15--God, Abram, Abraham's descendants, offspring & land, none, firepot
Exod. 6--God, Moses, Israelites, exodus & land, none, "I am the Lord"
Deut. 5--God, Moses, Israelites, God's love, obedience, 2 tablets [cf. 2 Kings 22:1-14]
2 Sam.--God, Nathan, David, enduring house of David, none, making David king [cf. 2 Kings 21:7-8]

Contrast a covenant with a contract:
Covenant--based on relationship; breaking it damages relationship
Contract--based on legal codes; breaking it incurs financial/material payment

Divide into five groups; distribute handouts and assign a different biblical passage to each group to fill in the blanks. When groups have completed task, have them report to large group so others can complete all the blanks.

Note the later interpretations (corruptions) of Deuteronomy 5 and 2 Sam 7:
Deut. 5--If we obey the laws, God is obligated to bless us. It's a quid pro quo relationship.
2 Sam. 7--As long as we keep a descendant of David on the throne, God is obligated to protect Jerusalem.

Discuss the elements of Hittite suzerainty treaties:
Declaration of suzerain's authority and right to make a treaty
Declaration of vassal's responsibility to abide by treaty
Description of suzerain's obligations to protect and provide for vassal
Description of vassal's responsibility to remain loyal and obedient to suzerain
Punishment for breaking the treaty
Signature/seal guaranteeing participation of both parties

Compare Joshua 24:1-27 to these elements. The covenants were put into a form that the people could understand.

What was the intent of the covenants? (To protect the relationship between God and the Israelites)
How did Israel miss the point of the covenants? (By treating them like contracts)
Notice in your charts that there was always a covenant mediator, not a negotiator, but a recipient/announcer. Are you a covenant mediator? How are we as Christians to function as covenant mediators in our world?

Session 2 will be on the New Covenant