Lesson 7A

IntroductionWhat document forms the basis of the USA government? The US ConstitutionIf I wanted to understand the relationship between the King of England and the Barons of England in the 13th century, what document would I read? Magna CartaIf I wanted to obey the laws of the Old Babylonian Empire in the 18th century, what document would I read? Hammurabi Law CodeIf you were the king of Judah in the 8th century BC, what document would you be required to read every day of your life? Deuteronomy or the TorahWhat do all these documents have in common? They are foundational documents for each of these nations.

We are going to study the foundational covenants which make up the kingdom of God. For the next three weeks, we will cover in detail the covenants which form the

Kingdom of God on a national level.o There are three major covenants that we will look at: the Abrahamic,

Mosaic, and New Covenants. o In each of these cases, God covenants with a party to establish his

kingdom on earth. o The other covenants of Scripture, like the Davidic or Levitical covenants,

but these are on the individual level.o And so, while these covenants are important to understand, they do not

address the national aspect of the Kingdom of God. The covenants are critical to understand because they are the foundation of the

kingdom. o Just like the US Constitution is the founding document of the USA and all

rules and regulations should be based on document, so to these three covenants form the basis upon which God rules in his people’s lives.

o With Abraham, God called him and said that he would make a nation through him. He confirmed that promise through an oath.

o When God delivered the nation of Israel from Egypt, he made them into a nation—a kingdom—through the Mosaic Covenant.

o In the future, God will establish his kingdom based on the New Covenant. Therefore, to understand how we function in the kingdom, it is critical for us to

understand the covenants. Topics

o This week, we will look at the Abrahamic and the Mosaic Covenants. o Next week, we will look at the New Covenant.o The week after, we will look at how believers fit in to the New Covenant

program.

Text and ContextThe Abrahamic Covenanto There are two covenants that God gave to Abraham

The first is in Genesis 15:18-21. This is a technical covenant. Verse 18 says that God “made”

a covenant. The Hebrew word for “made” is a precise,

technical term indicating the God is obligated to make this covenant happen as he stated it.

The seed (that is, the children) of Abraham would inherit the land.

What is the land? God narrowly defines it: from the Nile to the Euphrates. Then, as if that were not enough, God adds “the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 15:20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 15:21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”

Here is a rough approximation of the territories of these countries:

This covenant is strictly about land. The second covenant is in Genesis 17

Translation of the Covenant:o (3) And Abram fell upon his face and God spoke to him

saying, (4) I [God]. Behold, my covenant is with you

And you will be to a father of a multitude of nations.

o (5) And not will you be called any longer your name Abram, but your name will be Abraham, Because I will give/make you a father of multitude of nations.

o (6) And I will make you fruitful with very much

o And I will give you for nations and kings will go out from you.

o (7) And I will raise up my covenant between me and between you and your seed after you to generations for a covenant

of eternity to be to you for God and to your seed after you.

(8) And I will give to you and to your seed after you the land of your travels—all the land of Canaan—for a possession [inheritance] of eternity.

And I will be to them for God.o (9) And God said to Abraham,

And you. You will keep my covenant—you and your seed after you for generations.

(10) This is my covenant which y’all will keep between me and between y’all, and between your seed after you: circumcise for y’all every male.

(11) Y’all will circumcise the flesh of your foreskin and it will be for a sign of (the) covenant between me and between y’all.

(12) And a son of eight days shall be circumcised to y’all every male for your generations birthed of house and acquired of money from every son of foreigner who is not from your seed.

(13) Surely the one birthed of your house shall be circumcised and the one acquired of your money and my covenant will be in y’all’s flesh for a covenant of eternity.

(14) And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised (in) the flesh of his foreskin and that person shall be cut from his people. He broke my covenant.

o (15) And God said to Abraham, Saray your wife. You will not call her name

Saray (but) Sarah will be her name. (16) I will bless her and also I will give from her

to you a son And I will bless and she will be for nations kings

of peoples from her will be.1

1 And Abram was a son of ninety years and nine years YHWH appeared to Abram and said to him,

o “I am God Shaddai, be walking to my face and be blameless.o And I will give my covenant between me and between you and I will

multiply you in very much.

And Abraham fell upon his face and laughed and said in his hearto Shall to a son of a hundred years father? o And or shall Sarah a daughter of ninety years give birth?

And Abraham said to the God to him, o Ishma‘el may be to your face.

And God said,

The covenant stipulates the persons involvedo Look in verses 4, 9, and 15. Each starts a new section

in the covenant. They all start with the phrase, “and God spoke

to him (Abraham).” Immediately after that phrase, a name or

pronoun is stated indicating that what follows is relevant to that person.

Verse four: “As for me” or simply “I.” The speaker is God. What follows is God’s obligations to the covenant, from verse 4-8.

Verse Nine: “As for you” or simply “And you.” The you is Abraham. From verses 9-14 his obligation is listed.

Verse Fifteen: “As for Saray your wife” or simply “Saray your wife.” Saray is not obligated to do anything, but God promises to bless her (15-16).

o The Obligations God’s Obligations

To make Abraham the father of many nations.

To give him and his children the land of Canaan.

To be their personal God. Abraham’s Obligation: To circumcise every male

in his house. Sarah’s Benefit: God will give her a son who will

multiply into many nations. The covenant was a gift. The word used for “set” in verse two

is the word for give. While it can mean “set” here, I think theologically it should be translated as “give.”

o This is the only place in the OT where the word “give” is used in connection with a covenant.

o Paul says the covenant is a gift (Gal. 3:18).o How was the Abrahamic Covenant used through Scripture?

First, the land of the covenant is a significant feature throughout Scripture. In fact, you could argue that it is

o After all, Sarah your wife will bear to you a son and you shall call his name Itschaq.

o And I will raise up my covenant with him for a covenant of eternity to his seed after him.

o And for Ishma‘el I have heard you. Behold, I will bless him and will cause him to be fruitful and will multiply him in very much. Two-ten princes he will father and I will give him for great peoples.

o But my covenant I will raise up with Itschaq whom Sarah will birth to you for the appointed time. This is in the next year.

And God finished to a word with him and he went up from Abraham.

Exod 6:8 ‘I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession; I am the LORD.’ ”

Ps. 105:9-11 9 Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; 10 And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, to Israel for an everlasting covenant: 11 Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, The lot of your inheritance.

Second, God remained faithful to the nation of Israel based on the Abrahamic Covenant.

God swore by himself that he would make this promise happen, as the author of Hebrews says, Heb 6:13 “For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself.”

Deut 9:5 “It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Even today, God maintain the very existence of the Jews because of the Abrahamic Covenant.

o What other nation has been so persecuted, abused and survives to this day?

o They suffered und the Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans.

o Then the Muslims began to overcome the middle east.o Then the Roman Catholic Inquisition and the

banishment of many Jews from Europe.o If accusations of blood liable were not enough, Hitler

and the Russians also persistently killed thousands of Jews.

o And to this day, Israel is surrounded by nations who have sworn to wipe her off the map.

o But yet she survives. Not by her own strength, but because God swore by himself to make of Abraham a great nation.

The Mosaic Covenanto As covered before, Exodus 20:1-23:33 is the Mosaic Covenant. o The form of the covenant, although slightly different, is very similar to the

Abrahamic Covenant. Similarities

Both covenants are divine initiations of a relationship with a chosen people.

Both establish the responsibilities of man and the responsibilities of God.

Differences

The form of the covenant is much longer because it is a covenant with a nation and not just one man.

It begins with a summary statement in chapter 20. It is conditional, if the people do not keep their end of the

covenant, then God is not obligated to keep his end of the covenant.

o Structure of the Covenant Introduction (20:2-17): Ten Commandments Historical Interlude (20:18-26): Approach to God The Nation’s Covenantal Requirements (21:1-23:19)

Slaves (21:2-11) Personal Injuries (21:12-36) Property Damage (22:1-17) The Occult (22:18-20) The Underprivileged (22:21-27) Submission to Leadership (22:28-31) Legal Justice (23:1-9) Sabbath (23:10-12) National Festivals (23:14-19)

God’s Covenantal Requirements (23:20-31) God’s Representative (23:20-25a) God’s Assistance in the Conquest (23:25b-31)

o Prosperity (23:25b-26)o Power over Enemies (23:27-30)o Extension of National Boundaries (23:31)

The Nation’s Obligation to Serve God Alone (23:32-33)o Observations

Like the Abrahamic Covenant, the Mosaic covenant carefully delineates the responsibilities of each party.

Here is what the Nation must do: “Now these are the ordinances which you are to set before them” (21:1).

Here is what God will do: “Behold, I am going to send” (23:20).

Unlike the Abrahamic Covenant, the Mosaic covenant lays most of the responsibility on the people instead of on God.

The Mosaic covenant is conditional (23:21-22) 21 “Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him. 22 “But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.”

The Relationship Between the Mosaic and Abrahamic Covenants In order to understand the relationship between the Abrahamic and

Mosaic Covenants, I would like to raise the following question: Could the Mosaic Covenant have fulfilled the Abrahamic Covenant?

o The answer to this question is important, because your answer will shade how you think that God will restore Israel.

o Many answer, yes, the Mosaic covenant fulfilled the Abrahamic Covenant.

During the reign of Solomon, the Scripture indicates the he had control over the whole western Mediterranean. That is, all the boundaries of the Abrahamic covenant.

This group of people concludes, that since God has fulfilled the promises to Abraham, there is not future land promise to be fulfilled.

Therefore, God will not return Israel to the land. However, I believe that his position is wrong because the Mosaic

Covenant could not have fulfilled the Abrahamic Covenant. o First, the people were unrighteous.

Almost immediately after they ratified the Mosaic Covenant with God, the broke the terms and conditions and worshiped the golden calf.

Also, as Moses noted 40 years later Deut 9:5 “It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land.”

And throughout their existence as the Kingdom of God, the broke and transgressed the covenant, as Jeremiah notes in his discussion of the New Covenant “31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, That I will make a new covenant With the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers In the day that I took them by the hand To bring them out of the land of Egypt; Which my covenant they brake, Although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord.”

And because they transgressed the covenant, God kicked them out of the land.

o Second, Even if the kept the Mosaic Covenant perfectly, it could not have fulfilled the Abrahamic Covenant.

As discussed earlier, the Abrahamic Covenant was given to Abraham unconditionally.

In contrast, the Mosaic Covenant which was filled will conditions. All the way through, God promised that he would only give then victory if they served and obeyed him.

This difference between the covenants sets them apart at their very foundations. On covenant was by grace and the other by works.

Paul emphasizes this difference in Galatians 3:15-18. Let me read you text. I’ve added a few words for

clarity which Paul was implying in the text. Brothers, I speak according to man, nevertheless: no one can annul or add to a contract signed by man. Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and his child (not saying, “and to his children,” as of many, but as of one, “and your child,” which is the Anointed). Now I am saying this: the Law—which came 430 years later—does not nullify a contract having been signed beforehand by God, to

nullify the promise given to Abraham. For if Abraham received the inheritance from the Law, it is no longer from the promise. But God gave the inheritance freely to Abraham through the promise.

If the children of Israel earned the right to stay in the land by keeping the law which is the Mosaic Covenant, then it is no longer a free promise.

o For example, say I promise to a friend of mine, “Buddy, I am going to give you a million dollars.”

o But then later, I say “Look, if you want that million dollars, I need you to work for me until you deserve that million dollars.”

o Could I say that I gave him what I promised? No. Because I changed the terms of the promise.

o At first, I just promised it to him for free.o Later, I decided to make him work for it.o If this were a binding contract, I could be

sued for not fulfilling my terms of the contract.

The contrast, according to Paul, is stark. One is of works, but the other is of grace. One is payment, the other is a gift. One costs effort, but the other is free.

o Third, God could not have used the Mosaic covenant to fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant because the Mosaic Covenant could not cause a resurrection.

This reason by sound odd, but track with me a little. God promised to Abraham that he world give Abraham

the land, that is, Abraham would receive the land while he was alive.

Gen 15:7 And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.

Gen 17:8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.

But we know that Abraham died, not having received the promise as the author of Hebrews states in Heb. 11:13, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”

Therefore, for Abraham to receive the promise, he must be resurrected.

But we know that the Mosaic Covenant cannot give life, as Paul said in 2 Cor. 3:6, God “hath made us able ministers of the new [covenant]; not of the letter, but of the spirit:

for the letter [that is the Mosaic Covenant] killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”

Therefore, for the Abrahamic Covenant to be fulfilled, God must raise Abraham from the dead and all those who believe like him. And the resurrection only can happen through the administration of the New Covenant.

Why is it important to note that the Mosaic Covenant could not fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant?

o Because, if God promised to bring his Kingdom and world-wide blessing through the ultimate descendant of Abraham (who is Jesus), then it necessitates a better covenant than the Mosaic. And that better covenant is the New Covenant inaugurated by Jesus’ death.

o And if the land promise of the Abrahamic Covenant could not be fulfilled through the Mosaic Covenant, then it necessitates that the New Covenant give Abraham and his descendants the land of Israel as dictated in the covenant.

o Therefore, this Kingdom/nation as promised in the Abrahamic Covenant and fulfilled in the New Covenant must be of a primarily physical nature: a real kingdom defined in time and space.

How does this affect us today? o We know that we are members of the New Covenant. o We know that we belong to Christ having covenanted with him

in the New Covenant. o But how does this work? What does it mean for us to be

members of the New Covenant? What are the obligations and benefits of the New Covenant?

o How does the New Covenant affect our concept to the kingdom? Is the Kingdom here yet? Should we expect to receive some of the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant?

o We’ll begin to answer these questions next week, so I can’t wait to see you then!