The Covenants of God

             Translated by Yehenew

The word covenant indicates a pact or promise made between God and saints. Therefore there are many covenants God has made to uncountable Saints Mary. It is well known that the lord Christ has at different times, made covenants with those who love and follow him. Here, I have written only those which are found in the Bible. The first covenant is the one God has made with the first person ever Created. The others naturally follow the chronology of the bible which we will see in detail.

Old Testament

 The covenant of Adam

We all know how Adam ate the forbidden fruit against the word of God and sinned before the face of the lord. When asked by God as to why he violated his commandment, Adam shifted the blame to eve.  When eve was asked the cause of her act she stated that it was the serpent which misled her. Both were condemned and their excuse didn’t save them. Adam and Eve, being created in the image of God as a perfect demonstration of God’s love had to be saved from the condemnation they have brought against themselves. They relentlessly mortified their flesh and prayed for forgiveness. As a result their kind Lord gave them his most important covenant which is known as the covenant of Salvation. (Kidane Dehnet) The Lord said after 5 and ½ days I will deliver you after being born out of your child (Holy Mary). This prophesy in the covenant came to pass when God Immanuel, was born by the holy virgin. This salvation was the only mercy can save Adam from the condemnation that came as a result of the original sin.

The covenant of Noah

When humans began to multiply on this earth their sin also increased. This global sin brought the great flood which destroyed all. Mankind was saved by a saint Noah who walked in the path of his holy forefathers. As a result God was well pleased with Noah and wanted to save him and his family. Therefore, God ordered Noah to build an ark (a giant ship) which can shelter all the animals which have not sinned nor became accessory with evil. Noah did well what God told him. He interred in the ark and the spirit of God sealed his iterance.

On the date God said, he will bring a great flood; boiling water rained on the earth. It destroyed all life form. When the water that covered the earth dried Noah emerged from the ark and told God that he will make his family ascetic so that such punishment will never occur again. This saying of Noah brought the second covenant. God gave Noah a promise that he will not wipe out life again, He gave him a sign to remind him and his children to come through the Rain bow. God told Noah that whenever he remembers this covenant he will make the covenant appear. 

  
Even today as one gaze’s at the rainbow at the same minute God is remembering his covenant. We still see the covenant because the covenant is functional Gen.9:13-16.

The covenant of Abraham

 Abraham was childless and an old man too for many years until God did away his dismay.  He lived in sorrow and fear that he will pass away without an offspring. As a saint and a spiritual man he must have seen the beautiful nature God has created; he must have seen therefore, the wild Ibex with her little lamb and the hawk with her Chick. He prayed to God again and again to give him a child. God listened to his prayers and gave him a covenant on one night.   That wonderful night while Abraham was speaking to God in prayer on this matter; God said ‘come out of thy tent to the field ’.  Abraham obeyed and stood on the lonely plain. God said behold the sky and behold the sand you see and has stood on, I have made a covenant with you that you will have glorious children like the celestial stares and you will have others who will be fathers of gentiles which will multiply until they become uncountable like the sand’ I will be Your God to you and your children and will multiply you and guard you. God kept his promise and it materialized through Ishmael and Isaac (Gen; 15:1-7).

The covenant of Isaac

God has made a covenant with Isaac also. He has given him a sign as the nation of God through Circumcisions (Gen 17:11).

The covenant of Jacob

God gave Jacob a covenant that he and his children will forever inherit the Promised Land. God’s convenient came through with the exodus from Egypt and the leadership of the chosen Moses and Joshua.

The covenant of Moses

Mosses made a covenant with God that lasted until the coming of Christ. This is known as the Old Testament or Judaism (Orit). The lord God made this covenant in a manner only repeated once through the revelation of the glory of Christ at Mount Tabor. He ordered mosses to bring the children of Israel before him on Mount Saina. As the people humbly kneeled the lord almighty reveled himself with his uncountable hosts of angels. The terrified people begged mosses saying let never a God speak to us for we will all die you go and speak with him and tell us what he said and we will obey you. That’s how God made a covenant with mosses (Det.5:31).

The covenant of David

Through David’s prophecy, the Lord has made it evident that he would make a covenant with his Chosen ones. Such is David himself who was chosen by God to rule. This is done because of David’s proven pity, selflessness and repentant Nature. He was called by God as the son of Esaye who is like my heart.  Moreover, God gave him seven gifts of great magnitude.

God gave David a covenant that he will descend from his linage. Thus, he told him that he will glorify his linage. This temporally manifested with the glory of his son Solomon. However the covenant refers ultimately St. Mary descendent of David. This covenant is linked with the one he gave to Adam. Thus, the human race can get glorified by the atonement of the original sin. Adam was told that he must wait until salvation to be effected through God’s Incarnation via a distant daughter of Adam. This has materialized when the time came through St. Mary; the purest one who deservedly has became the mother of God.

The covenant of mercy

As already stated God has made many promises whit his saints who really brought mercy and happiness from God through the covenants he granted them. However, none equals the convenient he has with his mother. His writing focuses on this major point. In this piece of writing when we say covenant of mercy, we are referring to the promise the lord Christ has given to his mother, St. Mary (kidane Mehiret)

The covenant God gave to Adam for his salvation was fulfilled on the cross. Thus God the Son was born from the daughter of Adam the Purest seed that Shone in human beings like a star and became the means for our salvation may the name of a holy Mary be glorified.  Christ our dear God made the atonement for the Sin of Adam through the passions; a price only He can pay; and for the love of the creation of his hand He suffered the pain that the devil witnessed. There on the cross he gave his mother to us all to his most beloved disciple St. John. (Jn.19:26)

As is due to a mother and more so to a unique mother like St. Mary the pain her beloved son underwent nearly killed her. Her beloved son our God reviled himself to her that she can gain the strength to live. It was on such moment when holy Mary was bitterly crying in the holy sepulcher that her son appeared and gave her the covenant of mercy.

He reviled himself with infinite hosts of angels and told her that it is only with her intersession that humanity can get into heaven. As many mareological scriptures of our Church has it the lord comforted and healed the broken heart of his mother that day.

He said that he will grant mercy to any who has summoned her holy name in faith; built a church , in her name or clothed the needy and comforted the heart broken in her name; authored  or sponsored the one who wrote her miracles named a child  for Christian name in her name. She thankfully accepted this covenant because it will give human beings a chance to inter heaven.

This covenant is remembered every year on 16 of Yekatit (22nd of February) at all churches. The faithful must perform spiritual things. Such are remembering the needy, the oppressed, the orphaned and widowed. Thus, they will get redemption through her covenant. On top of her motherhood to God (theotokos) we must also praise her for her covenant. She through her intercession has secured us from the satanic trap that aims to sink us in the fire of hell. She even today will always pray for our salvation.

All beings angels and men shall praise the lord who has taken her flesh and sole to save us from the condemnation of hell. Thus in our church spiritual fathers and Saints have composed innumerable books for her well deserved praise. Such are Abba Giorgis of Gasicha and Ephraim heryagos from Syria.

Our faith must be demonstrated through devotion to holy Mary and through good behavior and not simply by words and the mentions we make of her covenant. May holy Mary grant as peace and redemption through her intercession. Amen!!

May God Bless us, Amen.