Introduction God’s relationship with humanity has always been difficult to conceptualize. The Bible provides us with a plethora of stories that reassure us of God’s love for humanity, yet at other times bring us to question whether that is actually true. The Books of Genesis and Exodus, but more specifically the covenants that God makes with his people, offer great insight into the evolution of God’s relationship with humanity. By analyzing the varying terms of the Edenic Covenant, the Noahic Covenant, the Abrahamic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant, the reader is offered some perspective into how God views his place in respect to humanity. The Edenic Covenant is defined as a conditional covenant, or an agreement that is based on certain obligations
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The Bible states that God “created the human in His image” and in his likeness, which automatically distinguishes humans from the rest of the animals in the kingdom by giving them superiority in the eyes of God (Genesis 1.27). This, along with the fact that Adam and Eve are not subject to death and can coexist alongside God forever, demonstrates that God desires some sort of close, eternal relationship with Adam and Eve. Death, or parting from God, is defined as a punishment, which naturally brings readers to assume that it is something to cherish. The promise of eternal life if Adam and Eve do not eat from the Tree of Knowledge is what defines the Edenic Covenant as conditional. This is the sole term of the Edenic Covenant. Sounds simple, right? God does not command the people to worship him, nor does he technically command anything of Adam and Eve. Instead, God simply requests inaction in the form of a prohibition, which he believes will be ruinous to all of humanity. From this perspective, God is depicted in a fatherly manner as one who looks after the well-being of his children whom he wishes to spend eternity with. If that isn’t considered love, then what …show more content…
God makes three promises to Abraham: the promise of land, the promise of descendants and the promise of blessing and redemption. Unlike the Edenic Covenant, there are no explicit conditions attached to the covenant and there is no “if” clause suggesting its fulfillment is dependent on man. However, although it is an unconditional covenant, in comparison to the Edenic Covenant, we see that Abraham is very obedient and faithful to God. For this reason, it is impossible to mention the Abrahamic Covenant without mentioned Chapter 22 of Exodus, when God commands Abraham to “take [his] son, [his only one], whom [he] loves, Isaac, and go forth to the land of Moriah and offer him up as a burnt offering on one of the mountains” (Genesis 22:3). This is only one of the many instances where God commands Abraham and Abraham listens. Whether Abraham obeys or disobeys God does not affect the terms of the covenant, yet it is clear that Abraham is beginning to trust in the Lord and more importantly in his immeasurable abilities. After learning that God has the ability to wipe out an entire town of people, Abraham concludes that God also has the ability to promise him and his descendants greatness in the future. So, Abraham willingly
The Bible states that God “created the human in His image” and in his likeness, which automatically distinguishes humans from the rest of the animals in the kingdom by giving them superiority in the eyes of God (Genesis 1.27). This, along with the fact that Adam and Eve are not subject to death and can coexist alongside God forever, demonstrates that God desires some sort of close, eternal relationship with Adam and Eve. Death, or parting from God, is defined as a punishment, which naturally brings readers to assume that it is something to cherish. The promise of eternal life if Adam and Eve do not eat from the Tree of Knowledge is what defines the Edenic Covenant as conditional. This is the sole term of the Edenic Covenant. Sounds simple, right? God does not command the people to worship him, nor does he technically command anything of Adam and Eve. Instead, God simply requests inaction in the form of a prohibition, which he believes will be ruinous to all of humanity. From this perspective, God is depicted in a fatherly manner as one who looks after the well-being of his children whom he wishes to spend eternity with. If that isn’t considered love, then what …show more content…
God makes three promises to Abraham: the promise of land, the promise of descendants and the promise of blessing and redemption. Unlike the Edenic Covenant, there are no explicit conditions attached to the covenant and there is no “if” clause suggesting its fulfillment is dependent on man. However, although it is an unconditional covenant, in comparison to the Edenic Covenant, we see that Abraham is very obedient and faithful to God. For this reason, it is impossible to mention the Abrahamic Covenant without mentioned Chapter 22 of Exodus, when God commands Abraham to “take [his] son, [his only one], whom [he] loves, Isaac, and go forth to the land of Moriah and offer him up as a burnt offering on one of the mountains” (Genesis 22:3). This is only one of the many instances where God commands Abraham and Abraham listens. Whether Abraham obeys or disobeys God does not affect the terms of the covenant, yet it is clear that Abraham is beginning to trust in the Lord and more importantly in his immeasurable abilities. After learning that God has the ability to wipe out an entire town of people, Abraham concludes that God also has the ability to promise him and his descendants greatness in the future. So, Abraham willingly