There are many important themes woven into the narrative fabric of the Bible. For example, the recurring motifs of the Messiah, blood, kingdom, sacrifice, faith, redemption, and many more provide a beautiful backdrop of divinely inspired harmony throughout the text. One theme that could be considered to be the “backbone” of the Bible is the various covenants God made with mankind. A covenant, by definition, is a mutual agreement between two parties that involves promises on the part of each to the other. We find examples of such agreements in Scripture when God made a covenant with Noah to never again flood the earth (Genesis 9:9-11), with Abraham when God promised to give him a son and increase his descendants (Genesis 17), or with the children of Israel in the Book of Deuteronomy (Deut 29). Why did God make all these covenants?
Covenants Make Relationships
First, consider what happens when two parties make an agreement. Immediately a relationship is made. God has always wanted a relationship with His creation (cf. Gen 3:9; Exodus 6:7; John 3:16). But, it is a relationship of expectations. God did His part to provide a means of access to Him, but in each covenant, including the New Covenant of Christ (Luke 22:20), mankind must do his/her part to gain that access. This is one reason God made covenants.
Covenants Build Faith
Secondly, when the promises of covenants are fulfilled, it creates trust. Trust build faith. It has been more than 4,300 years since God promised not to flood the earth again. It is now historical fact that God’s promise to Abraham resulted in the populous nation of Israel. God made a covenant with King David that one of his descendants would sit on his throne in an eternal kingdom (Isaiah 9:7). He fulfilled that promise through Jesus (Ephesians 1:20-22). These examples provide foundations of faith, that we can place complete trust in God. It is as Solomon said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.” (1 Kings 8:56)
Covenants Brought Redemption
Thirdly, having a relationship and access to God comes with additional blessings to one’s life (Eph 1:3). In the Old Testament, God’s blessings came to those who kept His covenants in the form of protection, prosperity, and power to conquer enemies. Today, the greatest blessing He offers is salvation, forgiveness of sins, and eternal life (Col 1:14; 2 Tim 2:10) to those willing to enter into the New Covenant through obedience to the Gospel.
The Bible is full of structure because our God is a god of patterns, so covenants were a means by which God fulfilled His ultimate plan, to redeem mankind back to Himself (Eph 1:7). Each covenant built upon the previous. “And for this reason He is the Mediator [Jesus] of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.” (Hebrews 9:15). Why did God make covenants? With the explanations provided above, we can look to Peter for the answer, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) God wants YOU in His covenant!