jhaynes@ohstpy.mps.ohio-state.edu (05/19/91)
COVENANT STUDY
~It is my believe that before we can study the new covenant in the blood
of Jesus that we need to know what are some of the elements that make up
a covenant. Here are the ones that I have found to be important.
The elements of a covenant that we will look for are:
1. The greater party who establishes the covenant.
2. The lesser party who receives the promise.
3. How the lesser party enters this covenant.
4. The promise that is made to the lesser party.
5. The conditions to be met for the greater party to keep the
covenant.
Let's apply these five elements to some of the covenants found in the
Bible. The first one we will look to is what I like to call the
Rainbow Covenant.
Gen 9:8-17 8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him:
9 "I now establish my covenant with you and with your
descendants after you
10 and with every living creature that was with you-- the
birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that
came out of the ark with you-- every living creature on earth.
11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life
be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be
a flood to destroy the earth."
12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making
between me and you and every living creature with you, a
covenant for all generations to come:
13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign
of the covenant between me and the earth.
14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow
appears in the clouds,
15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all
living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters
become a flood to destroy all life.
16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it
and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all
living creatures of every kind on the earth."
17 So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I
have established between me and all life on the earth." (NIV)
God is the one who is the greater party. The lesser party is every
living creature. To enter into this covenant is to exist. The promise is
that God will not destroy all life by flood waters again. This is an
everlasting covenant. The conditions are that God will see the rainbow in
the clouds and remember His promise. Most of the people in the world
don't even know that they are included in this covenant.
The next covenant we will look into is The Covenant of Circumcision.
Gen 17:1-14 1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to
him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be
blameless.
2 I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will
greatly increase your numbers."
3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,
4 "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the
father of many nations.
5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be
Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.
6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you,
and kings will come from you.
7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant
between me and you and your descendants after you for the
generations to come, to be your God and the God of your
descendants after you.
8 The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I
will give as an everlasting possession to you and your
descendants after you; and I will be their God."
9 Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my
covenant, you and your descendants after you for the
generations to come.
10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after
you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall
be circumcised.
11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of
the covenant between me and you.
12 For the generations to come every male among you who is
eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in
your household or bought with money from a foreigner-- those
who are not your offspring.
13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money,
they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be
an everlasting covenant.
14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the
flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my
covenant." (NIV)
God is the greater party who establishes this covenant. The lesser party
are the descendents of Abraham and the generations to come. To enter
this covenant every male is to be circumcised from eight days old on up.
The promise is that Abraham will be the father of many nations and that
they will possess Canaan. The condition to be met is that if the male is not
circumcised he is cutoff from Abraham's people and as Verse 8 says these
are God's people.
In short the descendents of Abraham are his son Issac, Issac's son
Jacob who was later named Israel who had twelve sons who make up the
twelve tribes of Israel. Canaan is the land of Israel today.
Now we will look to a passage of scripture which talks about the covenant
God made with Abraham's desendents at Mount Sinai.
Jeremiah 11:1-5 1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
2 "Listen to the terms of this covenant and tell them to
the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem.
3 Tell them that this is what the LORD, the God of
Israel, says: `Cursed is the man who does not obey the
terms of this covenant--
4 the terms I commanded your forefathers when I brought
them out of Egypt, out of the iron-smelting furnace.' I
said, `Obey me and do everything I command you, and you
will be my people, and I will be your God.
5 Then I will fulfill the oath I swore to your
forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and
honey'-- the land you possess today." I answered, "Amen,
LORD." (NIV)
God is the greater party who led his people out of Egypt. The
desendents of Abraham are the lesser party. To enter into this covenant
one had to be circumcised and obey the Ten Commandments. We can read about
this in Exodus 20 through Exodus 23 where we find the Ten Commandments
and instructions of how the people are to live at peace with one another.
The promise is that if the people would obey the laws given by the Lord
then He would fulfill the oath and give them the land flowing with milk
and honey. The conditions rested upon the ablity of the people to obey.
To point this covenant out to a Jew would open their eye to see even if
they could obey the law, they would only end up with the land flowing with
milk and honey. Something to think about when sharing the good news.
Now that I have applied the five elements to 3 covenants I would like to
offer a challenge for someone to uses the scriptures and list the verses
that would reveal the five elements in the new covenant in Jesus.
I will share what I have come up with if anyone wants to see.
In His Hands,
Joel
Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another"
1 Thess 5:21 "Test everything. Hold on to the good."