Covenant of Adam

Part 2 of the Covenant Series

In Part One, we discussed the two major types of covenant in the Ancient Near East, the uni-lateral (one-sided) and the bi-lateral (two-sided) covenants.  Today, we’ll look at an implied covenant and the basis of later covenants.

In Genesis 1, we find God establishing a principle in creation.  Everything reproduces after its own kind.  In verse 21, whales, living creatures and winged birds reproduce after their own kind; in verses 24-25, cattle, insects and large animals reproduce after their own kind.  Then in verse 26, God says—

“Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness:  and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.  So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created He them.  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it:  and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” (Gen 1:26-28)

We see here that God creates man in His own image, and we were created to have dominion over all the earth and living creatures within it.  This mimics God’s dominion over all creation and everything in it.  Our first purpose, from the beginning, was to mimic God—to be a visible, walking representative of God to all creation.  Our first mission was, and is, to fill the earth with more visible, walking representatives of God! 

Chapter 2 gives us more detail in this creation of man—

“And Adonai formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Gen. 2:7)

So man is two-part:  we are created from the ground, connecting us to this physical reality; but we’re also made up of the very breath of God Himself, connecting us to the Divine.  These two parts of man are intimately connected—like when two substances begin to fuse together and become one.  This fusing of our inner breath with our outer shell caused man to become a living soul (vs.7).  Paul talks about  this same two-fold division when he refers to the inner man/outer man and to the spirit and the flesh.  Our inner man (spirit) is the part of us that communicates freely with God—the part of us that knows what we are to do, whether we want to acknowledge that or not.  Our outer man (flesh) is our physical body in all of its complexity.  Our mind, will and emotions are connected to this portion of our being.  When we’re sick in our body, our will power, mental capabilities and emotions are affected.  This is proof that they are connected with the body.  When Adam walked in the Garden before the horrific events of chapter 3, He walked in perfect balance between his inner man and outer man.

In chapter 3, however, things changed.  Up to this time, there were 2 realms of existence—the spiritual realm and the physical realm.  God, angels (faithful and fallen) and the heavenly precincts all existed in the spiritual realm.  The universe, earth, plants and animals (with their associated mind, will & emotions) existed in the physical reality.  But man was different.  Man existed in 2 realms simultaneously.  With roots in both the spiritual and physical realms, we are a bridge of sorts between the two worlds.

Sin existed in the spiritual realm because of Satan’s rebellion; but sin did not exist in the natural realm.  Satan is a spirit being and his rebellion was limited to that realm.  But with man’s fall in Genesis 3, stemming from the lust of the flesh, sin was ushered into the physical realm from the spirit realm through mankind.  God had foretold man the effects of sin, but man’s submission to Satan’s temptation flooded the physical realm with the stain of sin’s uncleanness and ultimate death.  Man was cut off from his spiritual connection and began an existence primarily in the flesh, being led by his mind, will and emotions.  Adam and Eve, and all their progeny, would come under the authority of darkness (Col. 1:13).  Rather than man filling the earth with visible, walking representatives of God, he began filling the earth with flesh-based, geo-centered beings that were enslaved to the new god of this age (2 Cor. 4:4).

Before Adam and Eve had a chance to really understand what their actions had done, God called them and the serpent into judgment.  We read in Genesis 3:9-14 that Adonai questioned Adam about his whereabouts.  Adam notified God that he and Eve were naked (as if God didn’t know).  When questioned whether he had disobeyed God’s commandment, Adam blamed Eve.  Eve, in turn, blamed the serpent.  God didn’t ask the serpent anything; He simply proceeded to set judgment on the situation, beginning with the serpent, back to Eve and finally back to Adam.  However, during the curse laid upon the serpent, Adonai made a remarkable prophecy—

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall crush your head, and you shall crush His heel.” (Gen. 3:15)

This is the first spoken prophecy of one that will come and crush the serpent.  The picture seems straightforward enough—in a single act, the head of the serpent will be crushed by the heel of the seed of the woman, which is crushed in the process.  Obviously, one would rather have a crushed heel than a crushed head; the heel can heal, but a crushed head is fatal. 

With this prophecy put forth, mankind began to look forward to the Serpent Crusher that would come forth and set things right again.  This high expectation seems to the force behind Eve’s declaration in chapter 4 concerning the birth of Cain-(kanito ish et-Adonai)-“I have acquired a man—Adonai”.  Our English translations often supply the word from to read “from Adonai”, but in the Hebrew there is no word here for “from”.  The small word et is an untranslatable word that marks the direct object.  It seems likely that Eve believed the child born from her was actually going to be the Serpent Crusher that would restore the world.  Could it be that Adonai let Adam and Eve in on the plan to bring forth a seed of the woman that would actually be Adonai Himself in the flesh?  It’s possible.  There’s certainly more here than Eve declaring “It’s a boy!” 

After pronouncing the judgments upon the three perpetrators, we find another strange statement in verse 21—

                “Unto Adam and to his wife did Adonai God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” (Gen. 3:21)

Adam and Eve were presently wearing fig leaf aprons which they had formed themselves.  Now, this may sound strange to us—why would anyone want to make clothes out of fig leaves?  But before this advent of sin, there was no death, so the first couple had probably never seen a leaf wilt before.  But as time went on, they would discover that their own attempt at covering themselves was inadequate.  Here, God clothes Adam and Eve.  Now we shouldn’t think that God simply snapped His fingers and there were two new coats (though He certainly could do that); rather, Moses is wanting us to see that God provided a covering for man by the death of an animal that provided the covering.  It is most likely here that God taught Adam and Eve the concept of sacrifice providing an atonement (covering) for sin.  Hence we find just six verses later, in the beginning of chapter 4, that Cain and Abel are bringing an offering unto Adonai.  Where did they get this from?  Where did they learn the concept of sacrifice?  Why was God not pleased with Cain’s offering of the fruit of the ground, while accepting Abel’s blood offering?

All the signs point back to this passage where God provided coverings (ketonet) for Adam and Eve with the skin of an animal.  And it’s entirely possible, given the proximity of this action with the promise of the Serpent Crusher, that God also taught Adam and Eve the concept of a blood covenant.  This is why we find both the concepts of the Serpent Crusher and blood covenants in all the cultures of early man.  Adam’s knowledge was passed to his sons, and their sons, and so on.  And all the early cultures of the Ancient Near East are replete with both of these concepts!  But from where?  Most likely, Genesis 3:21.

OK, that should provide some food for thought.  We’ll talk next time about Abraham’s Covenant.

Shalom!