The Divine Covenants

The Everlasting Covenant, with its shadowings forth in His temporal covenants, forms the basis of all His dealings with His people. Many proofs of this are to be met with in Holy Writ. For example, when God heard the groanings of the Hebrews in Egypt, we are told that He "remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob" (Exo. 2:24 and cf. 6:2-8). When Israel was oppressed by the Syrians in the days of Jehoahaz, we read, "And the LORD was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" (2 Kings 13:23 and cf. Psa. 106:43-45). At a later period, when God determined to show mercy unto Israel, after He had sorely afflicted them for their sins, He expressed it thus, "Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with thee in the days of thy youth" (Eze. 16:60). As the Psalmist declared, "He hath given meat unto them that fear him: He will ever be mindful of His covenant" (111:5). The same blessed truth is set forth in the New Testament, that the Covenant is the foundation from which proceed all the gracious works of God. This is rendered as the reason for sending Christ into the world: "To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant" (Luke 1:72). Remarkable too is that word in Hebrews 13:20 "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant."