Covenant in Joshua, Judges, and Ruth (4 Min)

When thinking about our covenanting God, the Reformed tend to wrap themselves in discussions about Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus (and rightly so). While such conversations highlight the major milestones and individuals who most prominently display our God’s covenanting nature, there are other places within our Bible, though maybe not as obvious, that show God’s faithfulness to keep his covenant promises. Here, we will see how the books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth carry on the covenant theme by depicting Israel’s conquest of Canaan and perseverance as a nation.

Background

In Genesis 17:7-8, the Lord covenants with Abraham, promising to be a God to his offspring and the possession of Canaan. The promises of nationhood, land, and blessing are promises given under the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-6). Following the exodus, Moses’ presentation of the Ten Commandments provides Israel with specific standards for holiness within the context of their nationhood. Sometimes, Israel kept these standards and sometimes, they did not. Joshua, Judges, and Ruth work to show that despite Israel‘s disobedience to the Mosaic Law, the Lord remains faithful to work out his promises to Abraham, ultimately through Jesus.

Covenant in Joshua

The conquest of the “Promised Land” in the book of Joshua is a manifestation of God keeping his promise to Abraham. In Joshua 7:11, Achan’s covetousness represents the transgression of the entire nation, displaying one people, set apart for God (see Exodus 19:6). Achan’s individual transgression violates the Mosaic Law but the corporate punishment against Israel displays that God views Israel as a unified nation, something that he promised Abraham he would accomplish (Genesis 12:1-3). Lastly, Joshua’s renewal of the Mosaic Covenant at Mount Ebal and at Schechem displays continuity between the covenant’s inauguration (Exodus 20) and continuation (Joshua 8:30-35; 24:1-28).

Covenant in Judges

In Judges, the covenantal theme continues through the many observations that disobedience garners severe consequences, a sanction of the covenant made in Genesis and the covenant made in Exodus. In Judges 2:1, the angel of the Lord says, “I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.” Unfortunately, “Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals” (Judges 2:11). Although the people suffer the consequences of their covenant disobedience, through “God’s handing them over to an enemy,”[1] the Lord remains faithful to the promise he made to Abraham by sustaining the nation of Israel through the leadership of various Judges.

Covenant in Ruth

After the scenes of disobedience, within Judges, Ruth offers a refreshing display of covenantal compliance. Following the death of her husband, the Moabite woman follows her mother-in-law to Bethlehem. Here, a Jewish man, Boaz, obeys the requirements given in the book of Leviticus and becomes Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer (Leviticus 25:47-55). These requirements were given in the Pentateuch in the context of covenant within Israel. Ultimately, Boaz’s compliance leads to the fulfillment of propagating a nation from Abraham through the births of both David and Jesus (Galatians 3:7; 14, 29).

Conclusion

These few examples display God’s sovereignty and faithfulness to fulfill his covenant promises and extend the continual covenant theme beyond the Pentateuch. Lastly, let’s examine the confession, noting that it pleases God to covenant with his people:

The distance between God and the creature is so great, that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience to Him as their creator, yet they could never have attained the reward of life but by some voluntary condescension on God's part, which He hath been pleased to express by way of covenant (emphasis added).

Second London Baptist Confession, 7.1, Of God’s Covenant

[1] L.G. Stone, “Book of Judges,” in Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books eds. Bill T. Arnold and H.G.M. Williamson (Downers Grover, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005), 595.