The Messiah and the Covenants of Israel (Continued)

The Mosaic Covenant (Continued)

The Giving of the Law was for Israel, God’s new ‘house rules’

 Since the nation’s period of slavery had left them ill-prepared for nationhood.  God set about providing them with leadership, and a moral and ethical code by which to live, and government that would produce discipline and order.  The nation was to be ordered as a theocracy so the code by which they were to be molded would be issued from the throne of heaven. These regulations were to be His house-rules.  They would not be an end in themselves – they would be preparatory for a further outworking of the purposes of their divine Author. Moses was called into the presence of God, where an offer of a covenant was made.  “And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’” (Exod. 19:3-6) To this offer they unanimously replied, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” (Exod. 19:8)

  But it would be necessary for every individual Israelite to understand that these regulations were authored by the Lord and not by Moses. Therefore the initial communication of the house-rules would be by direct communication from above. The Decalogue on which the Law was to be based would first be audibly communicated by God Himself, then written with His finger on tablets of stone while attended by some of nature’s most awesome and violent events.  The unfolding drama that was the offering of the covenant took place on and around Mount Sinai, and more than two million witnessed it. Thunders, lightening and earthquakes attended the descent of the Lord on to the pinnacle of Horeb. With such evident manifestations of the presence and mind of God, everyone was clear about one thing - this code was to be non-negotiable – there would be no modifying of its requirements: either obey it, or face the Omnipotent and explain why!

The code under which they would serve would teach them to differentiate between holy and unholy, between clean and unclean. Since the issuing of the code coincided with the time of the nation’s liberation from slavery, and it might appear to the uninitiated that they exchanged one form of slavery for another - they were now to be under the bondage of the Law. But these regulations were accompanied by great and majestic promises of blessing and peace and happiness. Only by submitting to theocratic rule from above could they know true freedom and prosperity. As Matheson wrote, “make me a captive, Lord, and then I shall be free”.

 So Israel, from the dark womb of Egypt, was brought to birth as a nation, and called the firstborn of the Lord. ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn”. (Exod. 4:22)  Here, it is clear that the Mosaic covenant was established between Israel and the Lord. No other nations are involved, no other combination of peoples are involved. Moses repeats this truth, when he addresses the nation at the end of his life. “For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?” (Deut. 4:7,8) This is repeated in the ‘writings’; “He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and His judgments to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any nation; And as for His judgments, they have not known them. Praise the Lord!” (Ps. 147:19,20) and the prophets, “Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, With the statutes and judgments”. (Mal. 4:4)

More Next Time

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The Messiah and the Covenants of Israel (Continued)

The Mosaic Covenant

From such small beginnings, the purposes of God grew. There was no great sweeping movement of the Spirit of God at that time, just the Omnipotent dealing with one man. From this individual Abram, and his wife Sarai, was to be brought a nation whose number could not be counted. It did not matter that Sarai was barren or that Abram was allowed to grow old, God’s promise would hold. And not only was the Lord prepared to deal with just one man, but was prepared to let him proceed at his own pace.  Oh! The grace of God. But thereafter the pace quickened. Not only was a nation to be produced from Abraham, as his new name indicated, but it would now be done with some urgency. “Be fruitful”, is the command of the Lord. In the same way as He commanded Adam and Eve, and later Noah, to “be fruitful”; He commanded Jacob “be fruitful”.  And for the family to grow into a nation, that would be without number (as the stars of heaven, the dust of the earth or the sand on the seashore) the seed would need to be planted in fertile soil, where it would bear fruit a hundredfold. Furthermore, not only were they to be innumerable but also separate, that is, holy unto the Lord.

 The Lord had already indicated to Abraham that the land in which they would dwell was to be Canaan.  This was not some territory picked at random, but a strategically placed geographical location.  It was the crossroads where the three main streams of humanity meet. It was the junction of the three main continents, Asia, Africa and Europe; those territories where the sons of Noah settled, Shem in Asia; Ham in Africa; and Japheth in Europe.  Therefore, the soil for the incubation of the seed of Abraham had to be within a reasonable distance of Canaan. 

 The solution was to plant the seed in the hothouse climate of Egypt. In preparation for the move of Jacob’s family to Egypt, the Lord incorporated into His plan the actions of Jacob’s sons when they sold their brother into slavery. Joseph referred to it when he was reunited with his family. He said, “God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth”. (Gen. 45:7) Thus, the plan of God became evident, for there they would know protection (the protection of Joseph to begin with; and afterward the dynasty that Joseph served).  There they could multiply while remaining separate. They would not be absorbed because their separation would be both physical and cultural. Physical, because they would live in a region apart from the main population – that of Goshen; and cultural, because shepherds and sheep farming were tolerated but not embraced by the Egyptian population. However, Egypt could not be their home – they would have to be transplanted in Canaan. But how would you get the new-born nation to leave Egypt? And when they left, they all had to leave – none to remain.  So how would you get a nation of more than two million people to leave Egypt of their own accord?  Alas, you could not. The only way to extract them from their life in Goshen was to get the Egyptians to drive them out, and the only way the Egyptians would drive them out, is if they became totally odious to them. Such was the background to the nation’s Egyptian bondage and their exodus. This does not imply that the Lord orchestrated the period of oppression, only that, in his wisdom, He was able to predict and incorporate the actions of the Egyptian leadership into His plans for the infant nation. His ways are higher than our ways.

Before they could enjoy liberty away from Egypt there would be commands to be obeyed, blood to be shed, and claims to be met.  The final break from the oppressive regime came because they obeyed the commands, shed the blood and acknowledged God’s claims. The requirements imposed on Israelite households at the time they began their escape from their Egyptian prison, are given in Exodus chapter twelve. God’s instructions through Moses were very particular.   Each household was to kill, roast and eat a lamb or kid as their last meal in Egypt. The animal had to be a male, one year old, in good health, with no visible defects – only a healthy animal would be suitable as a sacrifice to the Lord and only such an animal could be the substitute for someone who was to be consecrated to God. Though they did not know it at the time, only such an animal could foreshadow the Messiah, the true Lamb of God, who is holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners. 

The animal, chosen on the 10^th of the month Abib or Nisan as it was later known, was to be slain on the 14^th. The head of each household was to slay the lamb at twilight. These men would occupy the office of priest, and thereby constitute Israel as a nation of priests. The concept ‘kingdom of priests’ would be a foundational aspect of the covenant between the Lord and Israel that would be agreed at Mount Sinai. They were to daub the blood of the animal on the door surround, as evidence that the household had obeyed God’s instructions and fulfilled the necessary conditions for salvation.  Then when God visited Egypt with judgment, the blood of the substitute protected the Israelite homes, while Egyptian homes, that had no such protection, suffered the death of their firstborn.  The Hebrew word for Passover (Pesach) comes from a verb meaning ‘to pass over’, and clearly refers to the means by which they escaped the judgment that fell on Egypt. They were to eat the meal dressed for their journey, and be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.

 Their deliverance was so momentous that the calendar was re-ordered. “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.” (Exod. 12:2) Their religious year was to begin with the month of Abib. Under the general name of ‘Passover’, this festival was incorporated into the life of the nation as a great educational tool in the hands of the Lord. It would be the first event of their religious year. This festival, that immortalized the birth of the nation, established for all future generations, the principles of substitution and consecration. And in light of the loss of the firstborn of Egypt and the deliverance of the firstborn of Israel, God claimed Israel’s firstborn for His own. Thus, the Egyptian Passover began the process of making Israel a unique and separate nation. A key feature of the ordering of the festival was that only those covered by the Abrahamic covenant could be admitted to the Passover meal.

In addition to the re-ordering of the calendar, the Lord memorialized the deliverance of the nation with a festival, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them …these are My feasts. On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover”, (Lev.23.2,5) a festival that was to commemorate Israel’s birth as a nation, and celebrate their subsequent new life in His care. And as birth is followed by growth, so the nation would grow in the knowledge of Him and His purposes. In practical terms, separation from Egypt was to be followed by a separation to God. A consecrated walk with the Lord, in an ever increasing understanding of His character and will, was to be the process, and a covenant between the Lord and Israel would set out details of the behavior expected of the nation chosen by God to be His special treasure.

More Next Time

The Messiah and the Covenants of Israel (Continued)

The Abrahamic Covenant – Its Purpose and Effect

 Even before the foundation of the world God had been working to a plan. Essentially it was two fold. It was to produce a being that He could have fellowship with – that would learn from His wisdom and respond to His love. It would be an organism made up of those that already bore His imprint, that is, those that were made in His image and likeness, and so could be in perfect harmony with His own nature and would be able to be loved by Him, and love Him in return. In His wisdom and with His foresight He had already discounted the possibility of one individual member of His creation being able to fill this requirement. The disappointment, for disappointment it must have been, of the fall of Lucifer, suggests that this decision was the correct one, although He has given us no information to suggest that Lucifer or any of the angelic host were ever capable of responding to His love in any meaningful way. They were created as His servants to serve Him, although the nature of the Godhead demanded that even the service of such beings should be a willing service and not by compulsion. In consequence they were given the freedom of choice. No! The Omniscient One embarked on a course of action that would result in an organic, living entity that would be capable of fellowship with the Godhead by reason of many individual parts each bringing something unique and special to the relationship. And that by reason of great numbers and a wide array of gifts and abilities, harnessed together by a corporate delight in fellowship with God, they would collectively provide a beating heart of love that could respond to their divine Creator. His revealed aim then, is to have a great celestial ceremony amidst great rejoicing and in front of a great cloud of witnesses, to enter into a covenant relationship with the members of this foreknown and predestined group, who, although disparate in themselves are bound to each other by a common love of the Godhead. They will, when it takes place, be a united group, ‘all one in Christ Jesus’. The marriage ceremony between the Son of God and the Church is one of the last scenes provided for us in Scripture.

 But such an ambition would require a member of the Godhead to forge a link between Himself and humankind. Moreover, the great gift of moral freedom, which would be an essential element in this union, would ultimately produce a need for a plan of salvation, because the foreknowledge and wisdom of God, could predict the sin of Adam and the wide ranging consequence of his fall. The member of the Godhead entrusted with this task was the Son, who would be incarnate in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. His eternal position within the structure of the Godhead together with the briefest outline of the great master plan can be discovered within His prayer to God the Father, the night before He was crucified. He said, “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world”.(John 17:24) His existence  and His relationship with the Father before the beginning of time is the basis for the request. It also reveals that there is to be a relationship with the redeemed in the future, because His prayer was not only for His immediate friends and followers but also for those who would later become His followers, and be identified by the collective noun ‘Church’ for this also was foreknown and incorporated into God’s great purpose before the beginning of time. They were chosen, “in Him before the foundation of the world, that (they) should be holy and without blame before Him in love”. (Eph 1:4) Peter is the one who describes the incredible means of grace that would enable this magnificent gesture of love. “You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold …but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you”. (1 Pet. 1:18-20)

 That there was such a program in place is revealed in the prophecy uttered at the fall of Adam. Satan, the arch enemy of God who master-minded the sin of Adam was told in respect of the seed of the woman, “He shall bruise your head”, adding that it would be at some personal cost, “And you shall bruise His heel.” (Gen. 3:15) These mysterious words need history to explain them, but now it is clear they refer to the defeat of Satan at Calvary.

But our purpose here is to consider how the Abrahamic Covenant fits into this overall purpose of God. Here are some suggestions.

1.                  The whole scheme of things will rest on an incarnation. The wisdom of God created man in His image, and the purpose of God provided for the creation of the Church. Therefore it would seem essential that God should be created in man’s image, to enjoy this meaningful relationship. In other words, man was created in God’s image, so that God could be created in man’s image, so that man could be re-created in God’s image and in a unity named ‘Church’ be called to join the Son of God in marriage.

2.                  Since the Godhead exists in the eternal state, the incarnation would also be needed to accomplish a redemption that would result in mortals putting on immortality. For this union to work, the members of the ‘Church’ need to live for ever.

3.                  Abraham was chosen to father a nation that could accommodate the incarnation.

4.                  Identifying a particular nation at its beginning, that is, in the loins of one man, was necessary because this particular nation will have to provide the conditions that would allow the Son of God to live a holy life essentially without persecution or opposition. With Abraham God began with an almost blank canvas.

5.                  The nation would have to be trained in such a way that the redemptive plan of God could be accomplished seamlessly within its religious structure.

6.                  The nation would have to be brought into a relationship with the Godhead that would signify that God was prepared to be related to humankind. (Israel is first called ‘the first-born’ of God, then later the ‘wife’ of Jehovah).

7.                  Once redemption was accomplished the nation could provide a focal point for the offer of a relationship with God to be advertised. It would provide fertile ground for the gospel to take root and flourish.

8.                  Moreover, a nation that had been separated by its training and its relationship to the Lord, when scattered among the nations, as they surely would be, would be the best advertisement for the truth of monotheism. The God of Abraham and the God of Israel would be known in all lands.

So God selected a man, Abram, tested him and found him strong in faith, and suitable to be father of such a nation – more than that – he would be suitable to be the father of many nations, and the father of the faithful. This is the man he trained and entered into a covenant relationship with. So the line of the seed of the woman is going to come through Abraham, Isaac and Israel. The Son of God must come from this nation.

Next Time: The Mosaic Covenant

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[1] John 17.20

The Messiah and the Covenants of Israel (Continued)

The Abrahamic Covenant (Continued)

Jacob and the Covenant

 As Isaac was assured of the promise of blessing, so also was Jacob. It took place when he traveled toward Haran to find a wife from within Rebekah’s family circle. He had his first direct encounter with God. In a dream he saw heaven and earth in communication via a ladder, suggesting communication between the God of heaven and his people on earth. Above, in heaven, the Lord stood and to the lonely, weary, traveler pledged a complete fulfillment of all the promises made to his forefathers, and assured him of protection on his journey and a safe return to his home. “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land”, (Gen.28:13-15) adding, “I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”

For those who were to be the founders of a nation with an agricultural economy, it is entirely appropriate that the promises were encapsulated in ‘land’, ‘seed’ and ‘blessing’. The ‘land’ element in the covenant naturally comes first, followed by the ‘seed’ that was to be planted in the land, together with the assurance of God’s blessing on the crop. As with a natural crop, the seed would multiply exceedingly. Furthermore, the blessing on the seed of Jacob would extend to all areas of the globe as the posterity of Jacob spread west and east, north and south, and touch all of humankind. Nevertheless, the land on which he lay would be their ultimate home, for to that land would they return. Thus the blessing, passed to Jacob from Isaac his father, and which was the direct cause of him leaving home, is confirmed by the only One who could bring it to pass, the author of the blessing Himself, the Lord. Ah! The condescension of God!

 While it was required that Isaac remain in the land, there came a time when Jacob was given permission to leave the land. The foundation of the nation was already laid in that he had twelve sons, and the process was to begin, in which they would grow into a great nation. The elevation of Jacob’s son Joseph in Egypt prepared the way for the removal of Jacob’s (now renamed Israel’s) family from Canaan, a land in which they had title but not yet possession. Judah’s alliance with the Canaanites demonstrated how vulnerable they were as a family, to the pressures of living in a land where their separation could easily be compromised, and their divine call could be endangered.  The Lord authorized their temporary removal from the land, and Joseph’s promotion provided the perfect means and motivation for the seed to be transplanted in Egyptian soil. Nevertheless, the events that brought about their move must have brought disquiet to the mind of Jacob. At such a time, and in such circumstances God spoke a word of encouragement to him. He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.” (Gen.46:3-4) And here we have come, as it were, full circle, returning to God’s dealing with Abram, when he said, “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. …  But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” (Gen.15:13-16)

The Abrahamic Covenant summarized

 The terms of the Abrahamic covenant indicate it is the basis of the dealings of the Lord with the Jewish nation, and through them, with the rest of humankind.  Here is a summary of the provisions of the covenant.

(i)      Abram was to be father of a great nation (Gen.12.2;13.16;15.5;17.1,2; 17.7; 22.17)

(ii)     This nation would possess the land of Canaan (Gen.12.7;  13.14,15; 13.17; 15.17-21; 17.8)

(iii)       He himself would enjoy the blessing of the Lord. (Gen.12.2; 24.1)

(iv)       Abram’s name would be great (Gen.12.2); changed later to Abraham (Gen.17.5)

(v)         He would be a blessing to others (Gen.12.2); indeed the blessing would extend to nations, peoples and families. (Gen.12.3; 22.18)

(vi)       Those who blessed Abram (and his seed) would be blessed; those who cursed Abram (and his seed) would be cursed. (Gen.12.2; 22.15-18; 26.3; 26.24; 27.29; 28.4)

(vii)     Abraham would father more than one nation. (Gen.17.4-6)

 The covenant was to be an everlasting covenant between God and Abraham, and Abraham’s posterity, through Isaac (Sarah’s son) and Jacob.  The sign of the covenant was to be circumcision.

Next Time: The Abrahamic Covenant – Its Purpose and Effect

The Messiah and the Covenants of Israel (Continued)

The Abrahamic Covenant

The Covenant again Confirmed

 Any biography of Abraham will demonstrate the importance of the event recorded in Genesis chapter 22, known as the ‘Akedah’ or ‘binding’. The Lord asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, the son of promise, on an altar on Mount Moriah. This he was prepared to do, but was finally restrained by a word from the Lord. Instead, he offered a ram, which was providentially available, as a substitute for Isaac.  This sacrifice of an animal in place of the firstborn son will take on much larger proportions in Exodus at the redemption of the nation.

 A second word from the Lord at this time, given as a result of the ‘Akedah’, reiterated the former covenant promises. “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Gen. 22:16-18)

 To confirm the immutability of this covenant, the Lord re-established it with an oath, and because He could swear by no greater, He used His own Name to support the vow. While this is the only time He used an oath with the Patriarchs, they often returned to this confirming of the covenant, to find encouragement and strength. Indeed the Lord Himself returned to this encounter to encourage them. As an example of the first, when Abraham needed to find a wife for Isaac for the progeny to continue, it is this episode he remembers when commissioning his senior steward to search for a suitable bride. In respect of the second, the Lord referred to it when requiring Isaac to stay clear of Egypt, despite a famine in the land, and when He gave instructions to Moses at the time of the Exodus from Egypt.  Joseph referred to it when making provision for his remains to be taken to Canaan. Indeed, David expanded this oath to support the Davidic Covenant.

 Summary So Far

 In Genesis chapter twelve, God elected a man, Abram, and called him out of the Babylonian city of Ur, separating him from idolatry and rebellious influences. God promised personal, national and international blessing. The blessing was to be in several areas: (i) his posterity was to be a great nation, (ii) they would be the catalyst for blessing, and (iii) they would possess a particular geographic area, a land.

 Further affirmations of the covenant

 Isaac and the Covenant

 The Lord had clearly indicated that the fulfillment of the covenant was to be through Isaac, although Abraham had other sons (six with Keturah[7], as well as Hagar’s son Ishmael). Therefore, it was appropriate that Isaac should be assured of the performance of the promise.  The occasion was another famine in Canaan. God appeared to Isaac to instruct him not to make the same mistake as his father, and go down to Egypt, but rather stay in the Promised Land. “Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen. 26:4) Isaac stayed and enjoyed immediate blessing. His flocks and herds increased substantially and he enlarged the number of servants in his household to cope with the extra work that the increased wealth generated. He became the envy of the inhabitants of the land.  This jealousy led to conflict, but God revisited him and assured him of His protection, while reminding him of the covenant. “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.” (Gen. 26:24) This was at Beersheba, a location where Abraham had previously stayed; and the location that Jacob would inhabit after him.

 The covenant was to continue through the generations, but Isaac had two sons, twins, Esau and Jacob. Through which of these should it persist? Rebecca’s confinement was difficult - the twins struggled in her womb. The distress caused her to cry, “Why am I like this”. (Gen.25.22) In response to her enquiry the Lord made her aware of a continuing struggle between the posterity of the two boys, when the younger would obtain precedence over the elder. The younger was, of course, Jacob who grasped the heel of his brother, an accident of birth that provided his name. The disposition of the developing children was in sharp contrast in that Esau was an outdoor man, a hunter, whereas Jacob found pleasure in the activities of the home. In consequence, Esau was the favorite of Isaac while Jacob was the favorite of Rebecca. As they grew, so the contrast became more evident, and an incident is recorded that delineates the unmistakable difference between them. Esau, returning from the hunt and famished, called for some of the food that Jacob was cooking. The younger twin, taking an opportunity to best his brother, required an exorbitant price for the meal – the firstborn’s birthright. This included not only the double portion of the inheritance, but also, because of their position in the ancestral line, the position of tribal chief, which in turn, incorporated the rule over the whole of the family, not just his own children. Jacob certainly knew the birthright was important, but whether he knew its full value is uncertain. That it would extend to the blessing incorporated in the covenant, and the future possession of Canaan, became clearer later. What was clear – Esau was not a spiritual man, (the writer to Hebrew Christians labeled him a ‘profane’ person) and thought he was getting the best of Jacob, inasmuch as the payment was simply a promise – and, in his view, a promise of little value at that!

 In the course of time, Isaac, with diminishing sight and reducing natural vigor, decided it was time to bless his sons. Even if he knew of the prophetic word given to Rebekah indicating that the elder would serve the younger, he did not consider it should influence his action in giving Esau the blessing of the firstborn. After all, Esau is not only his firstborn but also his pride and joy. But Rebekah would not see Jacob overlooked at this time and with a mixture of domestic skill and deception, obtained for Jacob the premier blessing.  Isaac, in the elevated state of mind of the inspired poet said:

“Surely, the smell of my son

         Is like the smell of a field

                  Which the Lord has blessed.

                           Therefore may God give you

                                     Of the dew of heaven,   

                                             Of the fatness of the earth,

                                                         And plenty of grain and wine.

                                             Let peoples serve you,

                                    And nations bow down to you.

                           Be master over your brethren,

                  And let your mother’s sons bow down to you.

         Cursed be everyone who curses you,

And blessed be those who bless you!” 

 Thus, the sovereign purposes of God, pronounced in the Abrahamic covenant, came to the fore in the blessing of Jacob by Isaac. While Isaac is unable to rise to the heights of the original covenant, as seen by his use of Elohim as the name of God in blessing, nevertheless many of the ingredients of the covenant are presented here. The land that he was to occupy would be a land blessed by the Lord, a land of plenty. And his language clearly rose to include Jacob’s posterity who would be the touchstone for blessing for all nations. Those that blessed Jacob and his issue would themselves be blessed, and those that cursed him and his issue would themselves be cursed. In such an unpromising family situation did the promise of blessing pass to Abraham’s grandson Jacob.

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The Messiah and the Covenants of Israel (Continued)

The Abrahamic Covenant

The covenant confirmed

 At ninety-nine years of age, fourteen years after the covenant had been made, God again appeared to Abram, and said, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” (Gen. 17:1-3) Here is the first time in the Bible that the name “El Shaddai” (God Almighty or God All-sufficient) is used. ‘El’ is God, singular.  It signifies strong or first, and identifies Him as the first great cause. The etymology of ‘Shaddai’ is less clear. Two aspects seem to have preference.  One, that it is the combination of two elements, ‘Sha’ (the one who) and ‘dai’ (is sufficient). This is sometimes preferred because ‘shad’ means breast, and can refer to the God who feeds and nourishes. He is the God who is all sufficient. Alternatively, it may come from ‘shadad’ which refers to His power and might. The translators usually adopt this meaning and translate ‘El Shaddai’ with the title ‘God Almighty’. Either way, it is a name that describes the covenant God, as possessing the power to fulfill His promise, even when nature itself is powerless to secure it. The Name by which the Lord introduced Himself was to bring assurance to Abram that though he was past age for fathering a child, and Sarai was barren, nevertheless an innumerable posterity would be his. With this in mind the Lord encouraged Abram to pursue a walk before Him that would be blameless.

 The revelation of Abram’s new Name was followed immediately by the declaration that the time had come for the fulfillment of the covenant.  “And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” (Gen. 17:2) This does not signify a new covenant but the beginning of the execution of the previously agreed contract. God set in motion that which was needed for the implementation of His pledge. Abram was overwhelmed and prostrated himself before the Lord. The Lord continued, “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.” (Gen. 17:4-6)

 “As for me”, that is, on My part,

 (1)  “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you”. (Gen. 17:7) The eternal God established an eternal covenant with Abram and his posterity. God is pleased to be known as the God of Abraham. (Gen.26.24; 28.13; Exod.3.6; 3.15, 16; 4.5; cf. Gen.31.42; 31.53; 1 Kings 18.36; 1 Chron.29.18; 2 Chron.30.6; Ps.47.9; Matt.22.32; Mark 12.26; Luke 20.37; Acts 3.13; Acts 7.32)  He is the God of Abraham and the God of Israel. “I will be their God”. (v.8)

(2) “You shall be a father of many nations”. This covenant gets better and better.  Not simply the father of “a great nation”, but now “a father of many nations”.  Abram was to be the ancestor of nations and kings. (v.6) To a man whose body was dead, (Rom.4:19) God said he would be “exceedingly fruitful”. God had said to Adam, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth”. (Gen 1:28) Alas, in Adam all die, but in Abram’s seed all live.(1 Cor.15:22)

 (3) “Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” (Gen. 17:8) The land to which he had been led was given to him and his descendents, for an “everlasting possession” repeating the truth that the Abrahamic covenant is eternal. The “I give” indicates it is unconditional.

Moreover, the extent of the covenant relationship between Abram and the Lord was to be fully advertised to all peoples because it would forever be incorporated into his name, which God changed from Abram (high father) into Abraham (father of a multitude). Under God, he was to be a father of many nations.

 To come under the Abrahamic covenant each individual Jewish male had to be circumcised. (Gen.17:10-14) Moreover, the covenant was to come through a son of promise. “And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her” (Gen. 17:15,16) At this Abram, now Abraham, laughed. He was one hundred years old, and Sarah was ninety.  “Not that he either ridiculed the promise of God, or treated it as a fable, or rejected it altogether; but, as often happens when things occur which are least expected, partly lifted up with joy, partly carried out of himself with wonder, he burst out into laughter”.(Calvin)  “The promise was so immensely great, that he sank in adoration to the ground, and so immensely paradoxical, that he could not help laughing” (Delitzsch). At this point Abraham reminded the Omniscient that he had already taken steps to help the Omnipotent fulfill His promise. He had a son, Ishmael. The Lord declared that Ishmael would become a great nation, but the covenant would be through the son that Sarah would bear, named Isaac. Embracing fully the covenant, Abraham had all the males in his household circumcised.

 Leaving no stone unturned, God visited Abraham, who was now in full covenant relationship with Him, having been circumcised along with his household. The Lord (so identified in Gen.18.13) along with two angels, called on Abraham and Sarah to strengthen Sarah’s faith for the birth of a son. The three, in human form, shared a meal with Abraham during which they asked for Sarah. She, standing within earshot, was permitted to overhear the conversation in which the Lord unveiled the timetable for the birth of Isaac. Within a year, Sarah would be a mother. Sarah laughed and was reproved. Nevertheless, her faith was strengthened, and the Scriptures record, “By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised”. (Heb. 11:11) Behold, the grace of God, in that He paid her a personal visit to encourage her faith in Him. He asked, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” and promised, “At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” (Gen. 18:14) So Sarah had a boy just as the Lord had said, when Abraham was a hundred years old.  They called him Isaac (a play on the word ‘laughter’)

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The Messiah and the Covenants of Israel (Continued)



"He believed in the Lord"

The Abrahamic Covenant (Continued)

The importance of faith

This element of faith is of vital importance. In a further encounter with God, Abram expressed a prayer for a son. “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” (Gen. 15:2) God replied, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” (Gen. 15:5) “And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness”. (Gen. 15:6) This very episode became a corner stone of the doctrinal writings of Paul, that great expositor of Christology. He referred to it in Romans. “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Rom. 4:3; see also v. 9 and v.22) and again in his Galatian letter (Gal.3:6).  James also quoted it. (Jas.2:23) It is almost impossible to exaggerate the magnitude of this episode in the patriarch’s life. God made him a promise and he believed. The encounter began with an expression of doubt vocalized by Abram, to which God responded with a renewed promise of staggering proportions, and concluded with Abram fully embracing it. While the fulfillment of the initial covenant depended only on the faithfulness of the Lord, this event, surely known beforehand to God, demonstrated Abram’s wholehearted engagement in the purposes of the Lord. Abram’s response to the promise, identified faith as the catalyst to activate the blessing that was to come to the Jewish nation, and indeed the blessing that would fall to all who had similar faith to Abram. Those that trust in the promise of God, and in the God of the promise, will be blessed. “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.” (Rom. 4:16)  That Paul wrote after the death of the Messiah, and identified the inclusion of the Gentiles, demonstrates the quality and scope of the covenant with Abram.

The observation of Moses,  that Abram believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness; inserted as it is in the historical narrative, must lead to the question, how did Abram demonstrate his faith to make Moses remark on it? And how did the Lord demonstrate He had accepted it and valued it so highly? The answer is found in that which immediately follows. The promise to Abram by the Lord was ratified in such a way to establish it beyond contradiction. It came in the wake of a plea from Abram for such an assurance. When the Lord repeated that Abram would be given future title to the land of Canaan, (Gen.15:7) Abram asked, “Lord God, how shall I know that I will inherit it?” (Gen. 15:8) The Lord’s response was to initiate a ceremony that would give the promise covenant status. This event needs to be laid out in order to get the full impact.

 1.            God assured Abram that the land would be his; “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.” (Gen. 15:7)

2.            Abram asked for some kind of sign to confirm this promise, saying “Lord God, how shall I know that I will inherit it?” (Gen. 15:8)

3.            God commanded Abram to bring an heifer, a goat, a ram and two birds.

4.            Abram laid them out in the fashion of a ceremony designed for the ratification of an agreement between two parties. “Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two.” (Gen. 15:10)

5.            These portions of the sacrifice had to be protected by Abram. “And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away”. (Gen. 15:11)

6.            After the sun went down, God placed Abram in a deep sleep during which he had a nightmarish dream. “Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him.” (Gen. 15:12)

7.            Then God spoke to Abram and told him the time for possessing the land was not yet, so they would not occupy the land for more than half a millennia. “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions”. (Gen. 15:13,14) (Maimonides (Moses Ben Maimon), the celebrated Jewish commentator from the 12^thcentury, suggests the oppression of Israel in Egypt was the result of Abram’s inadvertent sin in going down to Egypt at the time of famine in Canaan. (See his comment on Gen.12.10 referred to in the Jewish Study Bible))

8.            God indicated that Abram would have long life. “Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age”. (Gen. 15:15)

9.            God added the reason for the delay in their taking possession of the land. “But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” (Gen. 15:16) This meant that the Amorites, one of the occupying tribes of Canaan were not yet ripe for punishment - punishment here being the loss of Canaan.

10.        In the darkness of an eastern night after the sun had set, Abram’s deep sleep continued, in which God unilaterally established the covenant between the two of them. “And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: ‘To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.’” (Gen. 15:17-21)

 The fire of the theophany, for such it was, symbolized judgment on the enemies of the seed of Abram, who were the subject of the prophecy that introduced the event. From the furnace there emanated shafts of fire. While the contract was made between the two parties, it is clear that the Lord was the only guarantor of the contract, a covenant of grant. He alone passed between the separated animal carcasses. Abram was present solely as the beneficiary.

 But how was the promised blessing of God to be realized?  Sarai was barren – she had not, nor could have, children. The answer seemed obvious - Abram must take another wife. Sarai’s maid, Hagar, brought up from Egypt, was chosen. But God’s ways are higher than man’s ways, even Abram’s. As Abram could not be blessed while resident in Babylonia, so also an Egyptian slave girl cannot be the mother of the nation elected by God to be the cradle that would hold the Messiah. Ishmael was born and Ishmael would be the father of a great nation, but it would not be the elect people. (Gal.4:21-31)

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