What other biblical covenants involve physical markers, similar to Genesis 31:51? why physical signs matter God often attaches visible, tangible elements to His covenants so His people can see, handle, and remember His promises. Genesis 31:51 records Laban pointing to a “heap” and a “pillar” as the shared proof of his covenant with Jacob. Scripture gives several other instances of such markers. the rainbow: god’s promise to noah • Genesis 9:12–13: “And God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you and every living creature… I have set My bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant…’” • Whenever clouds gather, the rainbow reminds humanity that God will never again destroy all flesh by flood (Genesis 9:14–16). circumcision: abraham’s family seal • Genesis 17:10–11: “This is My covenant that you and your descendants must keep… Every male among you must be circumcised. You are to circumcise… and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.” • A permanent mark in the flesh underscored belonging to the promised line. tablets, ark, and sabbath: mosaic covenant signs • Exodus 24:12; 31:18—two tablets of stone written by God Himself stood as the legal record of the covenant. • Deuteronomy 10:1–5—the tablets were housed in the Ark, a portable, gold-covered chest that symbolized God’s throne among Israel. • Exodus 31:13: “Surely you must keep My Sabbaths, for this will be a sign between Me and you for the generations to come, so that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” • The weekly rest, plus the very stones of the Law, kept the covenant continually before Israel’s eyes. passover blood: rescue remembered • Exodus 12:13: “The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” • Every Passover lamb thereafter reenacted the night of deliverance and reaffirmed Israel’s relationship with God. stone memorials in the land • Joshua 4:5–7—twelve stones taken from the Jordan River were stacked at Gilgal “so that this may be a sign among you,” reminding future generations how God dried up the river for Israel to enter the promised land. • Joshua 24:26–27—Joshua set up a great stone under an oak: “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us.” the new covenant: bread and cup • Luke 22:19–20: “And He took bread… ‘This is My body…’ In the same way, after supper He took the cup… ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.’” • 1 Corinthians 11:25 instructs believers to keep eating the bread and drinking the cup “in remembrance of” Christ until He returns. The physical act proclaims the unbreakable covenant purchased by His blood. tying it together From a rainbow spanning the sky to bread broken in our hands, God graciously provides physical signs to ground our faith in His unchanging Word. Each marker—past, present, and future—points us back to His unfailing covenant love and forward to its ultimate fulfillment. |
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