God's covenant with David is the last of His Old Testament covenants and sets the stage for the New Covenant prophesied about in Jeremiah 31 and inaugurated in the death of Christ. Everything the Old Testament covenants were driving to is about to come to a head.

In this passage we see the groundwork for the office of deacon first being laid. Although the English word -deacon- does not appear in this text, these seven men clearly met the qualifications of deacon -later outlined in 1 Tim 3- and were to carry out the functions of a deacon.

This covenant plays a very important role in bringing about the promises of Genesis 3-15 and 12-3b.

The importance of this covenant in God's unfolding of redemptive history cannot be overstated. In a sense this is where it all begins. God establishes a covenant with creation via Noah to preserve the planet and humanity and to bring about the promise of Genesis 3-15- however, the covenant with Abraham is where God begins to hone that promise.

In the wake of Adam violating his covenant with God, bringing sin and death into the world, and God making a promise in Genesis 3-15 to one day send a redeemer to fix what Adam had ruined, God re-affirms his covenant with creation and all humanity via Noah and establishes a sign in the clouds to remind us that he will keep his promise.

God's covenant with Adam and his subsequent breaking of that covenant is extremely important as it sets everything in motion. On that dark day when Adam and Eve violate the covenant, God makes a promise to some day send a Redeemer -Gen 3-15- who will fix what Adam and Eve have ruined. Hence, the mystery of redemptive history begins to unfold.

What does it mean that God entered into a covenant with creation itself- How is that possible- And what are the implications for humanity and for the Christian life-

Here Paul discusses the mystery that was hidden in the Old Testament but has now been revealed in the coming of Christ. That mystery being the bringing together of Jews and Gentiles in union with Christ by faith. What is worth noting is that Paul does not describe this as something new God is doing in the New Testament era but something God has always been planning.

Paul will summarize the entire book by addressing two main points. First, what has been his concern regarding the Judaizers who have infiltrated the church in Galatia. And second, he will remind his readers what is the marrow of the gospel