God's Covenant With Israel In Reformed Theology
God's Covenant with Israel in Reformed Theology
Reformed theology views God's covenant with Israel as a foundational aspect of biblical history and theology. The covenant is understood as a solemn agreement between God and the Israelites, with God promising to be their God and they pledging to obey His laws [2].
The biblical basis for this covenant is found in Exodus 19-24, where God establishes a covenant with Israel at Sinai, promising to be their God and they to be His people. This covenant is characterized by mutual obligations, with God providing protection and blessings, and Israel pledging obedience [1, 2].
Reformed theologians, such as John Calvin, understand the covenant with Israel as a type or shadow of the new covenant that God would establish through Jesus Christ [8]. Calvin notes that the earthly promises made to Israel, such as the possession of Canaan, were secondary to the spiritual promise of being God's people.
The covenant with Israel is also seen as part of a larger covenantal framework that includes Abraham and David. The Abrahamic covenant is viewed as a foundational promise of God to bless Israel and the nations through Abraham's descendants [3]. The Davidic covenant is seen as a further development of this promise, with God promising to establish an eternal kingdom through David's line [4].
In Reformed theology, the covenant with Israel is not seen as abrogated by the coming of Christ, but rather as fulfilled and transformed. The new covenant, established through Christ's death and resurrection, is seen as a fulfillment of the old covenant and its promises [6].
The parties to the covenant are understood to be God and His people, with Christ acting as mediator and surety [6]. The covenant is characterized by God's faithfulness and Israel's unfaithfulness, highlighting the need for God's gracious redemption.
The Reformed understanding of the covenant with Israel is distinct from other Christian traditions. For example, Lutheran theologians, such as Keil and Delitzsch, emphasize the covenant's connection to the promise of redemption through Christ [7]. Jewish tradition, as represented in the Midrash Rabbah, views the covenant as a central aspect of Israel's identity and redemption [5].
The covenant with Israel remains a vital aspect of Reformed theology, highlighting God's faithfulness and the importance of covenantal obedience. As Calvin notes, the covenant serves as a reminder of God's gracious promises and Israel's obligations to Him [8].
Sources
- Brown-Driver-Briggs “[BDB H1285] berith (part 4/6) — with David Psa 89:4; 89:29; 89:34; 89:39; 132:12; Jer 33:21 (compare 2 Samuel 7 = 1 Chronicles 17); a divine promise to the seed of David of an everlasting kingdom, the relation of sonship, and the superintendence of the temple (compare Psalms 2..) g. Jehoiada and the people 2Kin 11:17 2Chr 23:3, a constitutional agreement to be the people of Yahweh. h. Hezekiah and the people2Chr 29:10, a constitutional agreement to reform the worship. i. Josiah and the people 2Kin 23:3, a constitutional agreement to obey the book of the covenant. j. Ezra and the people Ezra 10”
- Brown-Driver-Briggs “[BDB H1285] berith (part 3/6) — with Israel at Sinai = Horeb, with a covenant sacrifice Exod 19:5; 24:7-8, (E) 34:10, 27, 28 (J) 31:16; Lev 2:13 (P) 24:8; 26:9, 15, 25, 44, 45 (H) Deut 4:13; renewed in plains of Moab Deuteronomy 28:69; with blessings and curses 29:20; frequently referred to in other books 2Chr 34:32; Psa 25:10; 44:18; 50:5; 50:16; 74:20; 78:10; 78:37; 103:18; 106:45; 111:5; 111:9; Isa 56:4, 6; Jer 1:2-3, 6, 8, 10; 14:21; 22:9; 31:32; Ezek 16:8, 59, 60; 44:7; Dan 9:4; 11:28, 30, 32; Hosea 6:7; 8:1; Zech 9:11; 11:10; a divine constitution given to Israel with promises on conditi”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Covenant, The — Christ, the substance of -- Isa 42:6; 49:8. Christ, the Mediator of -- Heb 8:6; 9:15; 12:24. Christ, the Messenger of -- Mal 3:1. Made with Abraham. -- Ge 15:7-18; 17:2-14; Lu 1:72-75; Ac 3:25; Ga 3:16. Isaac. -- Ge 17:19,21; 26:3,4. Jacob. -- Ge 28:13,14; 1Ch 16:16,17. Israel. -- Ex 6:4; Ac 3:25. David. -- 2Sa 23:5; Ps 89:3,4. Renewed under the gospel -- Jer 31:31-33; Ro 11:27; Heb 8:8-10,13. Fulfilled in Christ -- Lu 1:68-79. Confirmed in Christ -- Ga 3:17. Ratified by the blood of Christ -- Heb 9:11-14,16-23. Is a covenant of peace -- Isa 54:9,10; ”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Promises of God, The — Contained in the Scriptures -- Ro 1:2. Made in Christ -- Eph 3:6; 2Ti 1:1. Made to Christ. -- Ga 3:16,19. Abraham. -- Ge 12:3,7; Ga 3:16. Isaac. -- Ge 26:3,4. Jacob. -- Ge 28:14. David. -- 2Sa 7:12; Ps 89:3,4,35,36. The Israelites. -- Ro 9:4. The Fathers. -- Ac 13:32; 26:6,7. All who are called of God. -- Ac 2:39. Those who love him. -- Jas 1:12; 2:5. Confirmed by an oath -- Ps 89:3,4; Heb 8:6. Covenant established upon -- Heb 8:6. God is faithful to -- Tit 1:2; Heb 10:23. God remembers -- Ps 105:42; Lu 1:54,55. Are Good. -- 1Ki 8:56. Holy. -- ”
- Midrash Rabbah (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Midrash Rabbah, Devarim Rabbah 2:23: Another matter: Rabbi Elazar said: When Israel was redeemed from Egypt, they were redeemed only due to these five matters: Due to distress, due to repentance, due to the merit of the patriarchs, due to mercy, and due to the end. 46 According to this view, God had decreed that Abraham’s descendants would be “strangers in a land that is not theirs…four hundred years” (Genesis 15:13), and that this period began from the birth of Isaac. Therefore, once that time period ended, it was time for Israel to be redeemed (Etz Yosef). Due to distress, as it is written: ”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 71: § 3 . Parties to the Covenant. At first view there appears to be some confusion in the statements of the Scriptures as to the parties to this covenant. Sometimes Christ is presented as one of the parties; at others He is represented not as a party, but as the mediator and surety of the covenant; while the parties are represented to be God and his people. As the old covenant was made between God and the Hebrews, and Moses acted as mediator, so the new covenant is commonly represented in the Bible as formed between God and his people, Chris”
- Isaiah (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Isaiah 59:21: Jehovah, having thus come as a Redeemer to His people, who have hitherto been lying under the curse, makes an everlasting covenant with them. "And I, this is my covenant with them, saith Jehovah: My Spirit which is upon thee, and my word which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, and out of the mouth of thy seed, and out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith Jehovah, from henceforth and for ever." In the words, "And I, this is my covenant with them," we have a renewal of the words of God to Abram in Gen 17:4, "As for me, behold, my cove”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 98: place a manifest indication of favour before his eye, added the promise of possession of the land of Canaan. In the same way we should understand all the terrestrial promises which were given to the Jewish nation, the spiritual promise, as the head to which the others bore reference, always holding the first place. Having handled this subject fully when treating of the difference between the old and the new dispensations, I now only glance at it. 12. Under the appellation of children the difference they observe is this, that the ch”