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He Gave Us
Prophets
Lesson Guide

LESSON THE PEOPLE OF THE

THREE
COVENANT

He Gave Us Prophets
Lesson 3: The People of the Covenant
© 2007 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
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CONTENTS

HOW TO USE THIS LESSON GUIDE.............................................................................3

NOTES................................................................................................................................4
I. INTRODUCTION (0:28)...........................................................................................4
II. HUMANITY IN COVENANT (1:20)........................................................................4
A. Central Concerns (3:21)........................................................................................4
1. Adam (3:28)....................................................................................................4
2. Noah (6:17).....................................................................................................5
B. Prophet’s Dependence (8:51)...............................................................................6
1. Sins of the Nations (9:50)...............................................................................7
2. Redemption for the Nations (10:31)...............................................................7
III. ISRAEL IN COVENANT (12:43).............................................................................8
A. Abraham (13:37)...................................................................................................8
1. Central Concerns (14:06)................................................................................8
2. Prophet’s Dependence (14:53).......................................................................8
B. Moses (16:22).......................................................................................................9
1. Central Concerns (16:51)................................................................................9
2. Prophet’s Dependence (17:29).......................................................................9
C. David (18:35)......................................................................................................10
1. Central Concerns (18:59)..............................................................................10
2. Prophet’s Dependence (19:58).....................................................................10
D. The New Covenant (21:12)................................................................................10
IV. SALVATION IN COVENANT (23:24)..................................................................11
A. Outside Covenant (24:29)...................................................................................11
B. Visible Covenant (26:14)....................................................................................11
C. Invisible Covenant (33:00).................................................................................12
V. CONCLUSION (39:09)............................................................................................13

REVIEW QUESTIONS..................................................................................................14

APPLICATION QUESTIONS.......................................................................................19

GLOSSARY.....................................................................................................................20

He Gave Us Prophets
Lesson 3: The People of the Covenant
© 2007 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
 HOW TO USE THIS LESSON GUIDE
This lesson guide is designed for use in conjunction with the associated video. If you do
not have access to the video, the lesson guide will also work with the audio and/or text
versions of the lesson. Additionally, the video and lesson guide are intended to be used in
a learning community, but they also can be used for individual study if necessary.

 Before you watch the lesson

o Prepare — Complete any recommended readings.
o Schedule viewing — The Notes section of the lesson guide has been
divided into segments that correspond to the video. Using the time codes
found in parentheses beside each major division, determine where to begin
and end your viewing session. IIIM lessons are densely packed with
information, so you may also want to schedule breaks. Breaks should be
scheduled at major divisions.
 While you are watching the lesson
o Take notes — The Notes section of the lesson guide contains a basic
outline of the lesson, including the time codes for the beginning of each
segment and key notes to guide you through the information. Many of the
main ideas are already summarized, but make sure to supplement these
with your own notes. You should also add supporting details that will help
you to remember, describe, and defend the main ideas.
o Record comments and questions — As you watch the video, you may
have comments and/or questions on what you are learning. Use the
margins to record your comments and questions so that you can share
these with the group following the viewing session.
o Pause/replay portions of the lesson — You may find it helpful to pause
or replay the video at certain points in order to write additional notes,
review difficult concepts, or discuss points of interest.
 After you watch the lesson
o Complete Review Questions — Review Questions are based on the basic
content of the lesson. You should answer Review Questions in the space
provided. These questions should be completed individually rather than in
a group.
o Answer/discuss Application Questions — Application Questions are
questions relating the content of the lesson to Christian living, theology,
and ministry. Application questions are appropriate for written
assignments or as topics for group discussions. For written assignments, it
is recommended that answers not exceed one page in length.
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Notes

I. Introduction (0:28)

II. Humanity in Covenant (1:20)

God established covenants between himself and his people through representative
heads: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and David.

Adam and Noah were universal covenants. They were established between God
and all of humanity.

A. Central Concerns (3:21)

1. Adam (3:28)

The covenant with Adam is traditionally known as the covenant of

works.

He Gave Us Prophets
Lesson 3: The People of the Covenant
© 2007 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
Notes 5

Three pillars were established in the days of Adam that endure for
all of history:

 human responsibility

 human corruption

 human redemption

These basic pillars:

 established the structures of divine-human interaction

throughout all history

 extend to the entire human race

2. Noah (6:17)

Added feature: stability for the physical universe.

God was demonstrating his patience with the human race.

Notes 6

God has given an orderly world so that we an fulfill our human

destiny as his image.

God established divine patience and the reaffirmation of our

human destiny as images of God.

B. Prophet’s Dependence (8:51)

As God’s covenant emissaries:

 Old Testament prophets focused most of their attention on the

nation of Israel.

 But they were also emissaries to the nations of the world.

1. Sins of the Nations (9:50)

Notes 7

The prophets usually pointed to the sins of the nations and

threatened God’s judgment against them.

2. Redemption for the Nations (10:31)

The prophets spoke of a future time of great blessings for the

nations of the earth.

Old Testament prophets:

 Drew attention to the severe violations of the nations

against God.

 Announced that one day God would redeem a people from

every tribe and nation of the earth.

III.Israel in Covenant (12:43)

Notes 8

God made three major covenants with Israel: through Abraham, Moses and
David.

A. Abraham (13:37)
God’s covenant with Abraham was the first to identify Israel as the one
chosen family to bear God’s gracious redemption to the entire world.

1. Central Concerns (14:06)

God chose a special nation.

God promised Abraham many descendants and a special land.

2. Prophet’s Dependence (14:53)

The prophets recalled the covenant God made with Abraham
whenever they spoke about God:

 giving land to his people

 multiplying their numbers

B. Moses (16:22)
Notes 9

Moses' covenant plays a vital role in the positive redemption of the human
race.

1. Central Concerns (16:51)

The covenant between God and Moses focused on the law of God.

The Mosaic covenant focused on the regulations of covenant life.

Its laws bring:

 blessing to those who obey

 curse to those who disobey

2. Prophet’s Dependence (17:29)

Prophets prosecuted the covenant by reminding Israel of her

responsibilities to be faithful to the Law of Moses.

C. David (18:35)
Notes 10

1. Central Concerns (18:59)

David’s covenant focused on:

 building God’s people into an enormous empire

 the establishment of David’s family as the permanent

dynasty over God’s people

2. Prophet’s Dependence (19:58)

God promised that eventually the kingdom of David would be a

magnificent, world-wide kingdom.

D. The New Covenant (21:12)

All the promises given to God’s people in the earlier covenants were to be
realized in the period of the new covenant.

Old Testament prophets longed for the day of this grand covenant.

IV. Salvation in Covenant (23:24)

Notes 11

Old Testament prophets did not think of people in terms of the tidy categories of
“saved” and “unsaved.”

A. Outside Covenant (24:29)

During the days of the Old Testament, those outside the covenant
community were cut off from the possibility of salvation.

B. Visible Covenant (26:14)

The visible covenant community includes all of those in the Old

Testament days, who were a part of the nation of Israel:

 believers

 unbelievers

The visible church mixed with believers and unbelievers may rightly be
called:
Notes 12

 “the church”

 “the kingdom (of God)”

 “the House of God”

 “the Family of God”

When we use terms like “elect” or “chosen,” we usually mean elected for
salvation. But, the prophets did not mean this very often.

God’s election in the prophetic vocabulary was not election to salvation

but election to covenant blessing.

C. Invisible Covenant (33:00)

The invisible covenant community: the full number of human beings who
come to saving faith and will spend eternity in the blessings of God.

The invisible church is made up of true believers only.

Notes 13

The invisible church has a secure destiny of salvation.

Old Testament prophets believed that there was an invisible covenant

community: the faithful remnant that had exercised saving faith.

To be in covenant was not the same as being redeemed or eternally saved.

V. Conclusion (39:09)
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Review Questions

1. Describe and explain the two central concerns of humanity in covenant.

2. In what two ways did the ministries of Old Testament prophets depend upon the
universal covenants?

He Gave Us Prophets
Lesson 3: The People of the Covenant
© 2007 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
Review Questions 15

3. Describe the central concerns and the prophets’ dependence upon the covenant
with Abraham.

4. Describe the central concerns and the prophets’ dependence upon the covenant
with Moses.
Review Questions 16

5. Describe the central concerns and the prophets’ dependence upon the covenant
with David.

6. How were the Old Testament prophets influenced by the new covenant?
Review Questions 17

7. Describe the category of those who were outside the covenant community.

8. Describe the category of those who were within the visible covenant community.
Review Questions 18

9. Describe the category of those who were within the invisible covenant
community.

10. Why is it important to recognize the distinctions Old Testament prophets made
among people with regards to salvation and covenant status?
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Application Questions

1. The prophets spoke of the theme of redemption and knew God always intended to
redeem a people from every nation. How does this teaching affect your
understanding of missions?

2. How should the covenant with Moses affect believers today?

3. How were the promises that were given to God’s people in the Old Testament
realized in the new covenant? How should this understanding affect your view of
Scripture as a whole?

4. How do the three distinctions of salvation in relation to covenant enhance your

understanding of the church today?

5. What is the most significant insight you have learned from this study? Why?

He Gave Us Prophets
Lesson 3: The People of the Covenant
© 2007 by Third Millennium Ministries www.thirdmill.org
Review Questions 20

Glossary

Abraham – Old Testament patriarch, son of Terah, Messiah was to come; name of the southern kingdom
father of the nation of Israel with whom God made a after the nation of Israel was divided
covenant in Genesis 15 and 17 promising innumerable
descendants and a special land Lo-Ammi – Hebrew name meaning "not my people";
the prophet Hosea's third child whose name
Adam – The first man; husband of Eve; man with symbolized that God would disown Israel
whom God made the covenant of foundations in which
humanity was to fill and subdue the earth Lo-Ruhamah – Hebrew name meaning "not loved";
the prophet Hosea’s second child whose name
Assyria – Empire located in northern Mesopotamia in symbolized that God would soon withdraw his
the ancient Near East that invaded and conquered the covenant blessing from Israel
northern kingdom of Israel around 722 B.C.
Moses – Old Testament prophet and deliverer who led
circumcise/circumcision – The Jewish tradition of the Israelites out of Egypt; man with whom God made
excising the foreskin of the male penis instituted by a national "covenant of law" and who administered the
God as a sign and seal for his covenant people in Ten Commandments and the Book of the Covenant to
Genesis 17:10-14 the Israelites; also appeared with Elijah at Jesus'
transfiguration
covenant – A binding legal agreement made between
two people or groups of people, or between God and a Nahum – Prophet who ministered in Judah sometime
person or group of people between 663-612 B.C.

covenant of works – God's covenant made with national covenant(s) – A covenant made with an
Adam that emphasized the goals of God's kingdom individual who represented the nation of Israel (e.g.,
and the role of human beings in his kingdom Abraham, Moses, and David)

David – Second Old Testament king of Israel who new covenant – The covenant of fulfillment in Christ;
received the promise that his descendant would sit on first mentioned in Jeremiah 31:31
the throne and reign forever
Nineveh – Capital of Assyria; known for its
Edom – Name of the nation descended from Esau wickedness; city where God sent the prophet Jonah to
issue a warning of judgment
elect – Term used for those chosen by God for
covenant blessings Noah – Man who, under God’s direction, built an ark
and survived the Flood; individual with whom God
Hosea – Prophet during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, made a universal covenant that promised the enduring
Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and Jeroboam, stability of nature
king of Israel
remnant – Term used in the Bible to refer to a group
invisible church – All people throughout time that of faithful Israelites who would be spared the
have been united to Christ for salvation judgment that would come upon the unfaithful

Jeremiah – Old Testament prophet from about 626- universal covenant(s) – A covenant made with an
586 B.C., also called the "weeping prophet"; individual who represented all of mankind (e.g., Adam
prophesied about the future of Judah and of the new and Noah)
covenant to come
visible Church – People that are regularly part of the
Jezreel – A town of Issachar where Jehu carried out a gathered church; those who publicly profess faith in
massacre against the house of Ahab; the prophet Christ but may or may not have true saving faith
Hosea’s oldest child whose name symbolized that God
was threatening to destroy Israel Westminster Confession of Faith – An ecumenical
doctrinal summary composed by the Westminster
Jonah – Prophet called to preach during the reign of Assembly of Divines and published in 1647
Jeroboam II from around 793-753 B.C.; sent to warn
Nineveh of God’s judgment and was swallowed by a
large fish when he refused to go

Judah – One of the twelve tribes of Israel; Jacob's

fourth son from whose offspring the promised