02.04.11 Human and Divine Relationships
The Greeks and Romans saw no need to have a covenant with their gods. Gods were considered a necessity, although the Greeks worshiped beauty, and the Romans, power. Whatever happened in life was the result of fate, which was said to be cyclical, which in turn led to a strong belief in fatalism and astrology.
The Jews, on the other hand, had not only a covenant with God, but believed they were His special people living on land that was given to them by His divine command through Abraham. The Old Testament covenant, is in fact, a suzerainty covenant, which is defined as a covenant with unequal parties, where the stronger and more powerful party functions for the benefit of the weaker one.[1]
While the New Covenant or New Testament is also a suzerainty covenant, there are some notable differences. For example, in the Old Testament, miracles were generally punitive, whereas those of Jesus were redemptive. Yet Jesus did not come primarily as a miracle-worker, but He came to reveal the Father and to preach that the Kingdom of God was about to come to those who placed their faith in Him. Profound miracles of healing and raising the dead captured everyone’s attention to His Kingdom message.
[1]. Payne, “Covenant in the Old Testament.” 1:1102-03.