The Covenants - Wednesday Evening Lesson
Teacher
Lesson Summary
The class reviewed the series of covenants God made with Israel, beginning with the land and name promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and moving through the priestly covenant with Phinehas, the Mosaic covenant, and the Davidic promise. Larry highlighted how Israel’s repeated violations—idolatry, oppression, child sacrifice, and covenant breach—as illustrated in Jeremiah 22, led God to withdraw His protective presence and ultimately dissolve the old covenants. He then explained the transition to the new covenant, noting the exile, the loss of the Temple and the Ark, and the rise of synagogues as centers of worship and education. By referencing Exodus 32, the Phinehas episode, and Judges, Larry showed how God’s righteous anger serves to protect the faithful while still extending mercy. The lesson concluded that today’s believers, like the early post‑exilic community, must prioritize justice, spiritual education, and reliance on God’s enduring covenant promises. Through this historical lens, the class reinforced that God’s covenants are not merely ancient contracts but living promises that call believers to righteousness, compassion, and steadfast faith in the promise of a universal covenant of grace.
Key Scriptures
Who says, 'I will build myself a great house with spacious upper rooms, who cuts out windows for it, paneling it with cedar and painting it with vermilion? Do you think you are a king because you compete in cedar? ... but you have eyes and heart only for your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence.'