In the Old Testament the word covenant comes from the Hebrew berit. It
means "'covenant; league; confederacy.' This word is most probably derived
from an Akkadian root meaning 'to fetter'; it has parallels in Hittite,
Egyptian, Assyrian, and Aramaic. Berit is used over 280 times
and in all parts of the Old Testament" (W.E. Vine, Vine's Complete
Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1985, "Covenant").
God's covenants contain two especially important components: terms and duration. Although
humans may reach covenants or other agreements through their own devices,
God's covenants with people are usually unilateral. He alone determines
the terms and conditions; humans choose whether to accept them.
For example, after God clearly defined the aspects of the covenant He
was making with the nation of Israel, including the blessings for honoring
it and the consequences for ignoring it (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28-30),
both parties-God and the people of Israel-accepted it.
Through this process God and Israel entered into a covenant relationship, a
binding commitment to honor and fulfill their respective roles.
A second important concept for us to understand about God's covenant with
Israel is its continuing relevance to our day. In reaffirming the covenant
with the generation of Israelites who were poised to enter the Promised
Land, Moses explained that they were doing this "that [God] may establish
you today as a people for Himself, and that He may be God to you, just
as He has spoken to you, and just as He has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. I make this covenant and this oath, not with you
alone, but with him who stands here with us today before the LORD
our God, as well as with him who is not here with us today" (Deuteronomy 29:13-15). The covenant clearly applied to Israel's descendants as
well.
