I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
Genesis 17:7 (NIV)Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.
Genesis 17:13 (NIV)Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.
Genesis 17:19 (NIV)
The Hebrew phrase “brit olam” (בְּרִית עוֹלָם), means “everlasting covenant,” and it shows up three times in Genesis 17. It is a promise of relationship: “I will be your God, and the God of your descendants.”
The first time we see brit olam, it’s when God says He will not destroy the world by flood. One symbol of the flood is the rising of darkness and chaos, so this covenant gives us hope.
Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
Genesis 9:16 (NIV)
After God’s brit olam with Abram in Genesis 17, the next time we see it is in Exodus 31, where God gives us rest as an everlasting covenant.
The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant.
Exodus 31:16 (NIV)
From this, God tells us: Rest. Be still. Remember.
So these are the words of God’s everlasting covenant with us:
“I will not harm you.”
“I will be with you.”
“I will give you rest.”