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  Bible Essentials
February
Bible Challenge 2005

Readings for the month of February:

New Testament: Matthew chapter 21-28 and Mark chapter 1-7

Old Testament: Exodus 27-40; Leviticus 1-22; Numbers 1-22

For a manageable daily/weekly reading breakdown, please follow the Link calendar or the Sunday bulletin calendar.

In the last Bible Essentials article, we briefly pointed out the significance of the �covenants� in the Old Testament (testament means �covenant�) and promised to explore this most important concept in a future article. So now let�s take a closer look and see how the covenants impact our understanding of the Old Testament.

We were reminded that a covenant is a word that refers to a special and permanent bond or yoke between two parties.  A biblical covenant is initiated by God and refers to a special relationship He establishes with the people that He calls His own.

The Old Testament is a progression of a number of covenants that God initiated with His people: The Edenic, Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic covenants. This progression reveals the way God goes about redeeming a people to Him. 

 Let�s look at the first three covenants which you read about in Genesis:

• Edenic (Gen. 1:28-30; 2:16, 17 NKJV) The Edenic covenant also commonly referred to as the �cultural mandate� made man responsible to multiply and populate the earth and subdue it. God gave man the authority over all of animal life and was told to cultivate the garden and eat of its produce. The only prohibition was the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The penalty of disobedience would be death.
• Adamic (Gen. 3:7-19) The bite of the forbidden fruit brought about the fall of man, and as a result, the consequences were devastating. With the realization of their nakedness (3:7), man and woman became ashamed, guilt is perceived and blame is given. Man then fells threatened by God, so he hides.
• Why did God prohibit the bite from the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil? �The prohibition, first of all, was not designed to restrict their freedom but to teach them that genuine freedom is found in obedience to God. By the probationary command, God attempted to teach man the vital distinction between the creature and the Creator. Lordship is the legitimate prerogative of God alone whether it be pre-or post-fall. Adam and Eve tested the legitimacy of God�s rule and thereby broke fellowship with God.� (Bandstra 22)
• God cursed the serpent �I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.� (3:15)
• According to William McDonald in the Believer�s Bible Commentary, �This verse is known as the protevangelium, meaning �The First Gospel�. It predicts the perpetual hostility between Satan and the woman (representing all mankind), and between Satan�s seed (his agents) and her Seed (the Messiah). The woman�s Seed would crush the Devil�s head, a mortal wound spelling utter defeat.�
• As a further consequence to the fall, the woman was sentenced to suffering in childbirth and subject to her husband. The man was sentenced to painful and often unproductive toil in the fields.
• �So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden.� (3:23). Adam and Eve are driven from the Garden which means they are denied access to the tree of life and they no longer experience the immediacy of fellowship with God. They are now to experience God through faith. (Bandstra 23).
• Noahic (Gen. 8:20-9:27) After the fall, sin has developed until every thought is only evil all the time (Genesis 6:5). God decides to eliminate man and the animals he created. God sees that there is one man who has remained faithful, Noah, and decides to preserve both he and his family, along with a representative selection of living things.
• Once the waters of the flood subside, God makes a covenant with Noah. The covenant states that God will never again destroy the earth by a flood. He will preserve mankind and creation to accomplish his redemptive purpose-to redeem the universe. The sign of the rainbow is a reminder of the Noahic covenant.

In the next Bible Essentials article we will explore the last three Old Testament Covenants: the Abrahamic, Mosaic and Davidic. We will then look at the total covenant picture and discover how each is foundational and adds something new to understanding God�s redemptive work.

Bandstra, Barry L. Covenant History, A Pathway into the Old Testament. Geneva College, Beaver Falls. 1992.

MacDonald, William. Believers Bible Commentary. Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville. 1980.

 Please remember that you can begin Bible study at anytime during the year. To get a customized reading plan, contact the church office and we will design a plan from the date you would like to begin.

 Questions are welcome and can be submitted to the church office by hand or e-mail. The parish clergy promise to respond to all questions in a timely, brilliant and spiritually nourishing manner.

*In non-leap years, read extra on
February 28th to keep on track!

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