Honoring the Covenant: Abram’s Faith and the Devotion of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus

Throughout Scripture, acts of covenant and faith require sacrifice, endurance, and devotion. Abram, a man of faith who had not yet even received his new name or the fulfillment of the promise, labored with primitive tools to cut a covenant with God. He worked under the night sky, the very sky in which God had promised him descendants as numerous as the stars (Genesis 15:5).

Centuries later, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, wealthy men of status, honored the new covenant in Christ by caring for His body in death, even at great personal risk (John 19:38-40).

Both accounts reveal acts of faith in the unseen promise—Abram through the physical labor of preparing the covenant and Joseph & Nicodemus through their reverent burial of Jesus, upholding the sanctity of the One who fulfilled the covenant through His blood.

1. Abram Cutting the Covenant (Genesis 15:1-17) → Faith in the Night Sky

Before God sealed His covenant with Abram, He gave a breathtaking promise:

“Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then He said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:5-6)

Though Abram had no children, and though he and Sarai were beyond childbearing years, he believed. His faith was not passive—God required him to cut the covenant:

“So the LORD said to him, ‘Bring me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.’ Abram brought all these to Him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other.” (Genesis 15:9-10)

The Costly Work of Covenant

1. Abram used primitive tools—In the era before iron, cutting animals in half required extreme physical labor, especially cutting through bone and sinew with Stone Age implements.

2. This was a bloody and exhausting process—Abram would have been covered in blood, performing this act alone in obedience.

3. He guarded the covenant sacrifice—Even as he waited for God to act, he had to protect the sacred offering:

“Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.” (Genesis 15:11)

Only after Abram’s obedient labor did God appear, passing through the sacrifice as a smoking firepot and a blazing torch, sealing the covenant by Himself (Genesis 15:17).

Abram had no visible fulfillment of the promise—yet he worked, trusted, and waited under the very stars that testified to God’s future faithfulness.

2. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (John 19:38-40) → Honoring the New Covenant

Centuries later, another act of devotion to a covenant occurs—not in the wilderness with sacrificial animals, but in Jerusalem, under the shadow of Rome and the religious elite.

Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy and powerful member of the Sanhedrin, boldly asks for the body of Jesus—a move that could have had severe political consequences:

“Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders.” (John 19:38)

Nicodemus, another high-ranking Pharisee, joins him and brings 75 pounds of burial spices—an extravagant preparation:

“He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.” (John 19:39)

The Costly Work of Honoring the Covenant

1. Like Abram, Joseph & Nicodemus had no visible proof of the promise—They did not yet understand the resurrection, but they still honored Jesus as if He were a King.

2. They risked everything—As members of the Sanhedrin, their actions made it clear where their loyalties lay, possibly costing them status, wealth, and even their lives.

3. Their offering was costly—The tomb was expensive, and 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes was a burial preparation fit for royalty—mirroring Abram’s costly obedience in cutting the covenant.

Where Abram cut the covenant and protected its elements, Joseph and Nicodemus honored the fulfillment of the covenant, securing the sacred body of the One who was the final sacrifice.

Similarities

• Both acts took place in uncertainty—Abram had not yet received land or a son, and Joseph & Nicodemus did not yet know the resurrection was coming.

• Both required costly action—Abram had to laboriously prepare the covenant sacrifice, while Joseph and Nicodemus secured Christ’s burial with wealth and influence.

• Both were acts of faith before fulfillment—Abram did not see Israel established in his lifetime, and Joseph & Nicodemus did not yet see the risen Christ.

Contrasts

• Abram’s task was physical and bloody, cutting through the flesh of animals. Joseph and Nicodemus’ task was ceremonial and reverent, preparing the body of the final sacrifice.

• Abram worked alone, laboring to fulfill God’s command. Joseph and Nicodemus worked together, honoring Christ in a bold, public act of faith.

• Abram’s act foreshadowed the coming covenant, while Joseph and Nicodemus honored the completed covenant in Jesus’ body.

3. Faith in the “Already, But Not Yet”

What makes Joseph and Nicodemus extraordinary is that they honored Christ without knowing about the resurrection. Even Jesus’ closest disciples were hiding in fear, yet these two wealthy, politically connected men stepped forward in faith, not certainty.

Their actions reflect a powerful theological reality—faith often requires action in the tension of the “already, but not yet.”

• Abram had received the promise, but not yet its fulfillment.

• Joseph and Nicodemus honored Jesus, but did not yet understand the resurrection.

• We, too, live in this tension—we believe in Christ’s return, though we do not yet see it.

The Apostle Paul later affirms this type of faith:

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

And Jesus Himself honored those who would believe without yet seeing:

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

Conclusion: Honoring the Covenant in the Midst of Uncertainty

Both Abram and Joseph & Nicodemus acted in faith toward a covenant they did not yet see fulfilled.

Like them, we are called to faithful obedience, even in times of uncertainty, opposition, or apparent defeat. Faith means preparing the sacrifice, honoring Christ, and trusting that God’s promises will be fulfilled in His time.

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

Just as Abram labored under the stars, trusting the promise, may we honor Christ, even before we see its fulfillment.