What other biblical covenants involve physical symbols like in Genesis 31:46? Stones on the Mountain with Jacob and Laban • Genesis 31:46 – “Then Jacob said to his relatives, ‘Gather stones.’ So they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap.” • The pile of stones (Gal-ed/Mizpah) served as a visible, enduring witness to the covenant of peace between Jacob and Laban. Why the Lord Gives Visible Marks • Tangible reminders root invisible promises in daily life. • They teach each generation that God’s word is trustworthy and unchanging (Deuteronomy 6:20-21). • They confront our senses when memory fades. Other Covenantal Signs in Scripture • Noahic Covenant – the rainbow – Genesis 9:12-13: “And God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant I am making… I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.’” – Every storm ends with a color-splashed testimony that God will never again destroy all flesh by flood. • Abrahamic Covenant – circumcision – Genesis 17:11: “You are to circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and this will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.” – An indelible mark on every male descendant, proclaiming they belonged to the promised line. • Mosaic/Sinai Covenant – multiple signs – Passover blood: Exodus 12:13 – “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” – Stone tablets: Exodus 24:12; 31:18 – God’s own writing etched the terms in stone. – Sabbath rest: Exodus 31:13 – “Surely you must keep My Sabbaths, for this will be a sign between Me and you….” – Each sign pointed Israel back to deliverance, law, and weekly dependence on God. • Covenant Renewal at Gilgal – twelve river stones – Joshua 4:5-7: twelve men lifted stones from the Jordan, “so that this may be a sign among you.” – The stacked rocks preached God’s faithfulness in drying up the river as He once split the sea. • Davidic Covenant – the enduring throne – 2 Samuel 7:16; Psalm 89:3-4 – While not a handheld token, the literal throne in Jerusalem became the visible pledge of an everlasting dynasty culminating in Christ (Luke 1:32-33). • New Covenant – bread, cup, and baptism – Luke 22:19-20: “Do this in remembrance of Me… This cup is the new covenant in My blood.” – 1 Corinthians 11:26 – Every Lord’s Supper proclaims His death until He comes. – Romans 6:3-4 – Baptism pictures burial and resurrection with Christ, sealing believers into the covenant community. Takeaway God graciously ties His promises to sights, tastes, rhythms, and memorials we can grasp—rainbows that span the sky, stones that outlast lifetimes, bread on the tongue—so that every generation sees and knows that His covenants stand firm forever. |
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