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John_C said:

Is the unbelieving spouse of a believer considered to be in the Covenant? In the OT, did foreign spouses (I guess wives as I cannot recall any foreign husbands) became part of the Covenant at marriage?

I guess the answer is No ; however, they do have some of the privileges as those in the covenant.

I would agree the answer would be no however the benefits of living with a believer which I believe are many can be discussed. There are benefits from living with the people of God and sharing in their blessings. It gives an unbelieving spouse the opportunity to witness the testimony of a Christian life and be exposed to God's word. This is the picture we get in the Old Testament with those who chose to stay with the Israelites even though they were not necessarily identified as believers.

Louis Berkhof explains this rather well in his Summary of Christian Doctrine.

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The Covenant of Grace. On the basis of the covenant of redemption God established the covenant of grace. Several particulars call for consideration here.

a. The contracting parties. God is the first party in the covenant. He establishes the covenant and determines the relation in which the second party will stand to Him. It is not so easy to determine who the second party is. The prevailing opinion in Reformed circles is that it is the elect sinner in Christ. We should bear in mind, however, that the covenant may be viewed in two different ways:

  • 1. As an end in itself, a covenant of mutual friendship or communion of life, which is realized in the course of history through the operation of the Holy Spirit. It represents a condition in which privileges are improved for spiritual ends, the promises of God are embraced by a living faith, and the promised blessings are fully realized. So conceived, it may be defined as that gracious agreement between God and the elect sinner in Christ, in which God gives Himself with all the blessings of salvation to the elect sinner, and the latter embraces God and all His gracious gifts by faith. Deut. 7:9; II Cron. 6:14; Ps. 25:10, 14; 103:17, 18.

    2. As a means to an end, a purely legal arrangement for the realization of a spiritual end. It is evident that the Bible sometimes speaks of the covenant as including some in whom the promises are never realized, such as Ishmael, Esau, the wicked sons of Eli, and the rebellious Israelites who died in their sins. The covenant may be regarded as a purely legal agreement, in which God guarantees the blessings of salvation to all who believe. If we think of the covenant in this broader sense, we can say that God established it with believers and their children, Gen. 17:7; Acts 2:39; Rom. 9:1-4.


Wes

When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, my richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride. - Isaac Watts