The covenants
Abraham, Moses and David, with Thomas Aquinas and the Catechism.
The last module ended by saying that God did not say everything at once. He prepared people step by step, through covenants with Abraham, Moses and David. Here we look at what God promised, what the law was for, and how it all points ahead to Christ.
Read the argument in short first. Then walk through it step by step, and at each step pick the most common objection to see how to answer it.
The argument in short
The argument in five sentences, to learn by heart.
- God made himself known step by step and bound himself to people through covenants, promises that he himself keeps.
- God called Abraham and promised that all the families of the earth would be blessed in him. He chose one people for the sake of all.
- God freed Israel from Egypt and gave the people the law, so that they would know him and wait for the Saviour.
- God promised David a kingdom that would last for ever, and the people waited for a son of David.
- The covenants prepare for Christ: the New is hidden in the Old, and the Old is made plain in the New.
Step by step
or tap a box in the map to see the texts behind it.
Test yourself
Think of your answer first. Nothing is saved.
What is a covenant in the Bible?
More than a contract: God binds himself to people with promises that he himself keeps. He offered covenants to people again and again.
Why did God choose Abraham's people in particular?
Not because the people was better, but by free election and for the sake of the promise: Christ would be born from it, and through it all nations would be blessed.
What comes first in the Ten Commandments, the commandment or the liberation?
The liberation: I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. The law is a gift to a people that is already free.
Why do Christians keep the Ten Commandments but not the food laws?
The moral commandments belong to the natural law and apply to everyone. The precepts for worship were signs pointing ahead to Christ, and he has now come.
Has God cancelled the covenant with Israel?
No. God's gifts and calling are irrevocable, and the Old Covenant has never been revoked.