Covenant: The Framework of God's Grand Plan of Redemption

“This is one of the most nourishing books of biblical theology that I have read. The accumulated fruit of a half century of faithful and scholarly Bible study and teaching is evident on every page. With courageous exposure of the damaging ways by which different Christian tribes--including evangelical ones--have relegated, negated, or simply ignored the First Testament, Block showcases the glorious redemptive coherence and missional hope of the grand covenantal narrative structure of Scripture. Every chapter is enriching, with illuminating exegesis from all over Scripture.”

“A creative and exhaustive study of covenant and covenant-making in the Bible that draws attention to the underlying logic and remarkable continuity of the biblical covenants. Block makes a compelling case for adopting new categories to describe this central aspect of God's redemptive project. Consideration of Block's proposal is imperative for anyone attempting to understand the biblical notion of covenant in the years to come.”

“This book, the fruit of a lifetime of careful study of the Bible, expresses Block's understanding of the way the entire Bible fits together. Regretting the tragic division between the First Testament and the New Testament that has come to characterize much of evangelical Protestantism's biblical interpretation and proclamation, he uses the theme of covenant to show how the Bible is telling one story in five acts. In a tour de force of biblical exegesis, he demonstrates that God's goal from creation onward has been for humans, sharing God's righteous character, to live in harmony with God and the cosmos. He then shows how, when that goal seemed out of reach due to human sin, YHWH devised a scheme of covenants that culminated in the Davidic covenant, by which the original goal will be achieved. Anyone who loves the Bible will be richly satisfied by this banquet Block has set before us.”

“A rich, detailed, and accessible exposition of covenant in the First and New Testaments. We receive not only an overview of how covenant factors into every phase of biblical history but also a grand picture of how the entire Bible coheres marvelously under the hand of God. If you struggle to see how seemingly disparate First Testament themes like creation, sin, law, and exile are interwoven with covenantal ideas and have deep relevance for Christians today, this is the book for you!”