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God's word is His promise!

  Amen! 

I found this answer on WikiAnswers: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_a_covenant_and_a_promise

A covenant is an agreement to a collection of promises between two or more parties for mutual gain and benefit. A promise is a pledge from one party to another agreeing to do/ not do something in the future.


Also: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080929193819AAaUBCm

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http://wsu.edu/~dee/HEBREWS/BERIT.HTM

Excerpt:

The relationship implied by the term "berit" is the relationship between a lord and his servants, for in Hebrew, a "berit" is a promise that is made unilaterally by a lord to his servants that he will protect and provide for those servants. The promise is not required by law nor forced on the lord by his servants—it is entirely voluntary. The word "covenant" means "business deal," or "contract," and implies a promise to deliver one end of the contract if the other end is met. But a covenant is a bilateral agreement; it takes the particpation of both parties and they are bound only by the terms of the covenant or agreement. God's berit  , however, is undertaken unilaterally without the participation of Abraham or his people in the agreement. Abraham is simply selected. As implied in the word, the relationship of God to his chosen people is a relationship of a lord to his servants; the chosen people, as servants, owe to God primarily obedience. In this sense, the Abrahamic berit  is open-ended; by choosing Abraham's offspring, God is demanding of that offspring unquestioning obedience for all the rules to come in the future. For God has not revealed his rules to his chosen people in the time of Abraham; that will come centuries later when the Hebrews are delivered from Egypt.

   So while it is traditional to translate the word "covenant" and to describe the relationship between Yahweh and his people as "covenantal," think of the word as meaning "promise," which is how the Greeks translate it when they translate the Torah into Greek. The Romans translate the word as "contractual pledge" and "testament" (which is a will that disposes of one's goods after one's death), from whence we get "covenant" (as well as "Old Testament" and "New Testament," which are nonsensical titles).