Background Reflection Template (1)
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Liberty University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
473
Subject
Religion
Date
Feb 20, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
4
Uploaded by ProfLobster2829
BIBL 473
B
ACKGROUND
R
EFLECTION
T
EMPLATE
1.
Using the concordance in the back of your Bible (or any digital word search), list the passages where the word “covenant” appears
. It is recommended that you use a more formal
translation of Scripture (e.g. NASB, ESV, CSB, NKJV, KJV). Your list should include at least 10 passages (Old and New Testament).
1. Genesis 6:18
2. Genesis 15:18
3. Psalms 25:14
4. Psalms 132:12
5. Jeremiah 31:31
6. Malachi 3:1
7. Luke 22:20
8. Hebrews 8:13
9. Hebrews12:24
10. Hebrews 13:20
2.
After reading all the passages you listed above
, list at least 5 observations
about biblical covenants and/or the way the word “covenant” is used in Scripture.
1. When covenants were made by God, they extended to the descendants as well.
2. God’s promises in the covenants are greater than the requirements of the people.
3. God expressed the covenants as vows similar to marriage.
4. The new covenant renders the old covenants obsolete.
5. Each covenant involved a sign to remind the people of the covenant.
For the following questions, use Chapter 2 of God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenants
for reference.
3.
List and describe
the six types of oath-bound commitments (covenants) described in the Old
Testament.
1. International treaties - refers to both peace treaties after a war, as well as promises of peaceful relations and trade agreements.
2. Clan/tribal alliances - Clans and tribes allied to protect each other from outside aggressors.
3. Personal agreements - Individuals made covenants to not harm each other, such as Laban and Jacob, or for mutual benefit.
4. National legal agreements - a covenant between the king and the people
5. Loyalty agreements - a covenant between friends.
6. Marriage - a loyalty agreement solemnized by an oath before God.
Page 1 of 4
BIBL 473
4.
What are the 3 definitions of “covenant” (
berit
) discussed by the authors?
1. “Covenant … means a solemn commitment of oneself to undertake an obligation.”
2. “A covenant, in its normal sense, is an elected, as opposed to natural, relationship of obligation under oath.”
3. “A covenant is an enduring agreement which defines a relationship between two parties involving a solemn, binding obligation(s) specified on the part of at least one of the parties toward the other, made by oath under threat of divine curse, and ratified by a visual ritual.”
5.
Discuss at least one way that the “covenant” definitions above help you better understand the
passages you reviewed at the beginning of this assignment (75 word minimum).
The definitions provided in the text help me understand that the covenants of the Bible are enduring. They are beyond a mere promise, in that they bind the parties together. For example, in Genesis 6-8, God made a covenant with Noah, binding Him to Noah through His
solemn promise to never again wipe creation from the earth. The definitions also show that the covenants were ratified by a visual ritual. When God made His covenant with Abraham, He promised that Abraham would become the father of many nations. As a sign of this covenant, all of Abraham’s male descendants were to be circumcised.
6.
List at least 5 observations/facts from the section “Covenants in the Ancient Near East.”
1. The kinds of covenants in the Bible are not unique to Israel. 2. “Covenants or treaties either identical or similar to those mentioned in the Old Testament were common all across the ancient Near East, in lands and regions known today as Egypt,
Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.”
3. “The book of Deuteronomy is identical in form (but not in content) to the international treaties in the ancient Near East, especially the suzerain-vassal treaties of the Hittites from the late fourteenth century b.c.”
4. Covenants in the Bible can have aspects of both the suzerain-vassal treaties and the royal grant treaties.
5. When reading the covenants, it is important not to pigeonhole them into either of the two types of treaties discussed in the text.
7.
Which observation/fact from the previous list is the most significant or interesting to you? Explain your answer (75 word minimum). The most interesting observation to me is that similar covenants and treaties existed in the
areas surrounding Israel and were common in the Ancient Near East. This fact tells me that the Bible exists as a representation of the culture in which it was written. It further confirms that the Bible is consistent with the history of the Ancient Near East. The events recorded in the Old Testament are recognizable as elements of the cultures outside of Israel.
Page 2 of 4
BIBL 473
8.
What are the six major covenants in the Bible (with Scripture references)?
1. “Covenant with creation (Genesis 1-3)”
2. “Covenant with Noah (Genesis 6-9)”
3. “Covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12/15/17/22)”
4. “Covenant at Sinai (Exodus 19-24)”
5. “Covenant with David (2 Samuel 7, Psalm 89)”
6. “New Covenant (Jeremiah 31-34, Isaiah 54, Ezekiel 33-39)”
9.
List at least 10 observations from the section “A Comparison of Contract and Covenant.”
1. “The most obvious difference between contract and covenant is the form or literary structure.”
2. “The covenant is person-oriented and, theologically speaking, arises, not with benefits as the chief barter item, but out of a desire for a measure of intimacy.”
3. “The conditions set out in a contract require fulfillment of terms; the obligation of a covenant is one of loyalty.”
4. The Hebrew words, ḥesed and ’ĕmet
, are used as a description of the faithfulness and loyalty between parties of a covenant.
5. Contracts involve negotiating the benefits of the parties entering the contract.
6. Negotiations do not have a place in covenants. 7. “The contract is characteristically thing-oriented.”
8. While contracts are initiated by mutual agreement, covenants were initiated by the stronger
party.
9. “‘Gift’ is descriptive of covenant as ‘negotiation’ is descriptive of contract.”
10. “A covenant, commonly, is forever; a contract for a specified period.”
10. Which observation/fact from the previous list is the most significant or interesting to you? Explain your answer (75 word minimum). The observation that is most interesting to me is that, while contracts are primarily thing-
oriented, covenants are person-oriented. This difference between a contract and a covenant shows the importance of covenants within the culture of the Old Testament. While contracts are merely about trading commodities between the parties, the covenants enter the parties into a new relationship with each other. When God made covenants with certain people, He expected a level of intimacy with them. He expected their hesed and ’ĕmet, their loyalty and faithfulness to Him.
11. How does all of this information about covenants broaden your perspective of your own relationship with God as a participant in the New Covenant (75 word minimum)?
The information uncovered in this assignment gives me a deeper understanding of just how important God’s covenants are to properly do biblical theology. The covenants of the Old Testament had cultural relevance in the Ancient Near East, and were understood to be binding, lasting, and transforming in the lives of Israel. The differences between covenants and contracts help me realize the importance of covenants, and the intimacy God expects Page 3 of 4
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
BIBL 473
with me, as a participant in the New Covenant. He expects hesed and ’ĕmet from me, and His
gift to me is everlasting.
Page 4 of 4