Covenants of God with His Children. Pentateuch discussion - Research Paper Example

?Covenants of God with His Children Part From one of several perspectives of Covenant Theology, the organization of the Bible’s of the history of God’s relationship with humans can be viewed within the context of three important overarching covenants: redemption, works, and grace. Throughout the Old Testament are historical covenants which advance and refine the Covenants of Redemption and Grace. In another perspective of Covenant Theology, the Covenant of Redemption is without evidence, the Covenant of Grace is implicit as the main covenant, and the historical covenants reflect different administrations of the Covenant of Grace. A third perspective of Covenant Theology is that, since the Bible does not specifically refer to any covenants of redemption, works or grace, it is more scripturally accurate to see all covenants as historical, and to see god’s plan of redemption/grace as an overarching purpose, but not specifically as covenants. This paper will discuss these major areas, as well as the historical covenants, as they are found throughout the sections of the Old Testament (Pentateuch, Historical Books, Poetical Books, and Prophesy), shaping Christian understanding and appreciation of the fulfillment of God’s purpose through Old Testament times, transitioning our understanding readiness, and application of covenant truths in the New Testament. A covenant is a promise, a contract of protocol, which outlines specific expectations and outcomes of keeping and breaking the expectations, binding on all parties and descendents. In the case of God’s covenants with people, God dictates the terms. The Covenant of Works was established with Adam and Eve, in Eden. God’s instruction was explicit. Adam was told to name the animals and to be a steward over God’s creation. God commanded them to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. They were invited to partake of the abundance of paradise, but were forbidden to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The latter stipulation had a consequence of death, for violation of terms. Freewill obedience demonstrates faith. In exchange for abiding by this covenant, God gave them eternal life in a perfect paradise, control over plants and animals in the garden, protection, and God’s own companionship and love. This covenant was binding on Adam and Eve and all descendants, even to us. When Eve was persuaded by Satan to eat forbidden fruit, and Adam also accepted from Eve, because of Satan’s false rationalization about God’s motivation and agenda, sinful choice separated them from God and paradise, but also separated us from God and paradise. The consequence of death and suffering that became theirs also became ours. There are two kinds of covenants which God makes with man: conditional and unconditional (Warren, 2000). Conditional covenants are where God says what he will provide “if” people will do what he instructs them to do, and to not do what he instructs them to not do. The Covenant of Works is a conditional covenant (Warren, 2000). The Covenant of Grace, however, was an unconditional covenant (Warren, 2000). There was no “if” clause. God made a gift, no strings attached. His gift was to send his son, Jesus, to be born without sin (as the child of God), to live a life without sin, and to die as a sacrifice for all the sin ever committed and all the sin ever to be committed by everyone everywhere. This was nothing we could earn, because we had already failed that test, through Adam and Eve, already shown that we would use our free choice in a wrong way. The consequence of death was part of the contract. Only Jesus could pay it, and he willingly did so, and God willingly sent Him. The Covenant of Redemption is the everlasting agreement, within the Godhead, before history began, for Jesus, the Son, to be born as a man, to live a life of obedience to the law and to God, and die a sacrificial death to atone for human sin. This agreement was powered by the Holy Spirit. This can be seen as a covenantal arrangement or as a Godhead understanding, so that God’s elect would be redeemed and restored to God. A passage used to support this as a covenant is Psalm 110, but I do not see it as supporting this. I do not think of these three areas as Covenants, because I do not find mention of them in Scripture. I fall into the camp of those Baptists, who see covenants as historical promises that carry forward God’s purpose of grace and redemption throughout the Old Testament, and who see that Jesus was obedient to God’s pre-creation onward will/purpose, as well as to all the historical covenants, as New Covenant Theologian Jon Zens emphasizes (2011). There are five covenants referred to as “eternal” or “everlasting” (Mayhue, 1996, p257): Noahic Covenant (Genesis 9:16) Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 17:7, 13, 19: 1 Chronicles 16:15, 17; Psalms 105:8, 10; 111:5, 9; Isaiah 24:5) Priestly Covenant (Leviticus 24:8; Numbers 18:19) Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 23:5; Psalms 89:3-4, 28-29, 36) New Covenant (Isaiah 55:3; Isaiah 59:21; Isaiah 61:8; Jeremiah 32:40; Jeremiah 50:5; Ezekiel 16:60; Ezekiel 37:26) The Noahic Covenant (Genesis 9:16) includes all creation as its subjects. God destroyed the world through flood, but grace was shown in saving Noah, a man of faith who obeyed God. Noah built an ark, following God’s exact specifications, and he and his household, along with all the pairs of animals were saved. Afterward, God made a covenant with Noah, in which he promised that never again would he destroy the world with a flood, and He gave the rainbow as a seal of this covenant Genesis 9:14-17). The Abrahamic Covenant was a promise that God would raise a nation, his chosen people, Israel, from Abraham’s descendents (Genesis 17:7), and what God wanted from Abraham was continued faith and being an instrument of God’s grace to others (Genesis 12:1-3). God told Abraham to try to count the stars and recognize that his descendants would be just as uncountable (Genesis 15:5), this in spite of the elderly status of Abraham and his wife, Sarah. The Davidic Covenant was between God and King David, a promise that He would establish David’s descendents as royal heirs to the throne of the nation of Israel (II Samuel 7:12-14; Ps 89:3, 34-37, 49). This promise was fulfilled when Jesus came, because Jesus was born into the lineage of David, which gave him the right to rule over God’s chosen people. The circumstances under which the Priestly Covenant (Leviticus 24:8; Numbers 18:19) occurred involved an act of marital consummation in the temple, between an Israelite and a Moabite. Phineas, executed the offender for violating the temple. God made a covenant with Phineas, promising perpetual priesthood, extending through the millennial reign on earth. There is another important historical covenant between God and His people, which was of lasting influence, the Mosaic Covenant. The Israelites had been enslaved in Egypt, and God rescued them (Exodus 20:2; 32:11). They camped at the base of Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:1) and God said he would make a covenant (Exodus 19:3-6). They agreed to abide by God’s instructions (Exodus 19:8). This covenant was intended only for the Israelites (Padfield, 2004). Moses went up the mountain and God gave him the Ten Commandments and various other instructions, which the people agreed to obey (Genesis 10:18-21; 24:4). God clarified that this was a temporary covenant, that He would someday replace it with a new covenant, written in people’s minds and hearts, that he will be their God and they will be His people (Jer. 31:31-34). The New Covenant is intended for everyone. It is the Covenant of Promise, which was initiated with the redemptive death of Jesus, and is the core of God’s plan of grace and the culmination and final fulfillment of all the other historical covenants, which led up to it (Padfield, 2004). The New Covenant is intended to accomplish what the old covenants did not (Jeremiah 31:31-34). This New Covenant is what the New Testament is about. The theme of the Pentateuch is the election, redemption, sanctification, direction and instruction of the nation of Israel, which God chose to raise up. People disobey and make bad choices, yet God doesn’t give up. He is faithful, irrespective of man’s failings and how difficult to accomplish his work. Repeatedly, He outlines expectations and extends grace. This theme begins with creation and man’s fall, and continues through the flood and God’s covenant with Noah, and His covenant with Abraham to raise a nation of His chosen people, through which to reveal Himself to all nations. This theme is seen in how He rescued his enslaved and imperfect people and provided His Law for the Israelites, through Moses. He gave them a lesson in respect for His relationship with them when he made the covenant with Phineas. The Historical Books recount the experiences of the Israelites, over centuries, as they move in and out of obedience to God, in their efforts to secure religious and national identity, establishing, losing and re-establishing Jerusalem in their promised land, seeking fulfillment of the covenant. These books show how repeatedly “The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” (Judges 3:12), in spite of God’s efforts to teach obedience and righteousness. The Poetic Books teach practical wisdom (Proverbs), the celebration of love (Song of Solomon) and worship of God (Psalms), show man’s struggle for meaning in life (Ecclesiastes), and how our relationship of faithfulness and obedience to God, even in suffering, provides that meaning (Job). The Books of Prophesy provide accountability warnings (Amos 3:1), foretell events of the end times (Ezekiel 38:18-20; Micah 4:3; Isaiah 2: 2,4), the coming of the Messiah (Psalm 22; 2:7;16:10,11; Isaiah 53), the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The story of the Old Testament is about how God chose to have a covenant relationship with man; how He encouraged man to be faithful and obedient so they could enjoy the promises; how man keeps rejecting that encouragement; and how God extends his grace even when man is unfaithful. This sets us up for the New Testament, in which the new and final covenant is revealed through the death and resurrection of Christ and the total redemption of man, by faith in Christ, restoring us to God, and the extension of this message to Gentiles. It is the unified message of God, faithfulness and obedience to God, understanding of how He is revealed in covenants, and cultivating appreciation for His grace that chooses us to be His, that is of critical importance for our lives, in relationship to God. This unified message yields important covenant truths for application to our own lives today. Whether we are Jew or Gentile, we are the elect of God, when our faith is anchored in Him. We are redeemed through God’s plan and Christ’s sacrifice, and not through our own works or perfection. We are made perfect and free by Jesus’ death and resurrection. Obedience to God comes through choice, based on recognition that this is the path of redemption, righteousness, and promise. God’s grace has been demonstrated to be limitless, and his faithfulness to covenants with imperfect humans has demonstrated amazing love and patience. We are called to be God’s presence in the world (Knox, 2007). Our discipleship, under the New Covenant, is a natural progression of faith and obedience outlined under the Old Covenant. Old Covenant proofs are still in effect: His Word, the rainbow, inclusion of us in the elect, a personal and redemptive daily relationship with God. References Knox, M. (2007, June 28). ABP News. Retrieved January 22, 2012, from Associated Baptist Press: http://www.abpnews.com/content/view/2736/120/ Mayhue, R. L. (1996). Covenant of Grace or New Covenant? The Masters Seminary Journal , 251-257. Padfield, D. (2004). Five great Bible covenants. Retrieved January 21, 2012, from padfield.com: http://www.padfield.com/2004/covenants.html Warren, T. (2000). What is the difference between covenant theology, and new covenant theology? Retrieved January 21, 2012, from The Mountain Retreat: http://www.mountainretreatorg.net/faq/covenant_theol.html Zens, J. (2011). Is there a "Covenant of Grace?". Retrieved January 21, 2012, from Searching Together: http://www.searchingtogether.org/articles/covenant.htm Part 2 The section of the Bible I have chosen to focus on, for the second part of this paper, is the Pentateuch. The character I have identified to discuss, as an instrument of God, through covenant, is Sarah, half sister (Genesis 20:12) and wife to Abraham and mother of God’s chosen people. I have chosen to focus on Sarah as an instrument of God, the role of God’s covenant with Sarah, and Sarah’s experience in application to our lives and faith as Christians. Sarah, originally named Sarai, led a most extraordinary life! She and her husband and household were nomadic, much of the time, living in tents, in various territories. She was exposed to diverse people and experiences, like the Canaanites and the Egyptians, from slaves to pharaohs. She acquired a great deal of life experience in this way. She was married to a prophet of God (Genesis 20:7), who routinely spoke with God. It must have been very difficult to follow her husband’s lead, on his alleging that God had instructed him to do this or that. Based on her husband’s conversations with God, Sarah had to pack up her household and relocate many times over. Yet she did so. One day, after a conversation with God, Abraham cut the foreskins of his own genitals and those of all male members of his household, including slaves Genesis 17:23). Surely this would have been a challenging thing to witness and accept the legitimacy of! Sometimes Abraham’s instructions placed her in bizarre circumstances. Yet she obeyed. We know that Sarah was a good wife. She followed Abraham from Ur to the land of the Chaldeans, to Canaan, to Egypt, to Gerar, packing possessions and household. She lied when he asked her to (Genesis 20:5. 12:13). She baked bread. She sent her servant to him, in order to beget a child (Genesis 16:2) and, when trouble came of this, she discussed the situation with him, rather than taking solitary revenge. We know that Sarah was a good mother. Even though she was ridiculously old, still she welcomed Isaac into her body, heart and life. She nursed him (Genesis 21:7), loved him and he loved her. He mourned for three years after her death. She protected him from being mocked and, and she protected his inheritance (Genesis 21:10). The Bible does not indicate that God spoke directly to Sarah about his promise to her, initially. Rather, she overhears the promise from her husband’s conversation with others. It is no wonder she laughed Genesis 18:12, 13)! She was elderly, post-menopausal (Genesis 18:11), with a consistent history of infertility, and this was hardly the first illogical idea expressed by her husband. When God spoke to her, it was to confront her about laughing at His promise. God spoke directly to her slave woman, Hagar, informing her she was with child and promising that He would also raise a nation from this wild child. But God approached Sarah mostly through Abraham. Given the trials Sarah suffered, and given the arrogant pride of Hagar and jealousies that arose between the women (Genesis 16:5), not even having the importance of being the first informed, must have been terribly frustrating. It must have aggravated her emotional response to long decades of infertility in a cultural environment where a woman’s infertility marked her as being useless. In fact, in the surrounding Canaanite pagan culture, the deity of sterility and infertility was Mot, the god of death, always in opposition to Baal, the god of fertility, growth and life, and son of the supreme deity, El (Quartz Hill School of Theology, nd). It is reasonable to assume that the whispering of servants and mixed people in public spaces might have subjected Sarah to the mythology of these cultural associations. Perhaps God tested Sarah greatly because His plan for her was so enormous. Sarah was still a noted beauty when she was quite old (Genesis 12:11, 14). This would indicate that her inner beauty, confidence, and bearing inspired attraction. She was abducted by an Egyptian Pharaoh, for his harem, while married to Abram (later named Abraham), and later taken by King Abimelech, because Abraham was less than forthright (Genesis 20:1, 2). Both the Pharaoh’s household and Abimelech’s household suffered greatly until Sarah was reunited with Abraham. God did not accept the substitution of Hagar’s child with Abraham, in place of a child with Sarah. God did not accept a permanent separation. Very clearly, God Himself was dedicated to the fulfillment of his covenant through this particular woman, Sarah with this particular man, Abraham. The picture of Sarah that emerges is that of an unusually attractive woman, experienced, practical and competent, who obeys and honors her husband, loves her son, and sustains faith in God amidst incredible challenges. Sarah led an extraordinary life, and was a woman that can be admired by Christian women everywhere. In that sense it is understandable that God would choose her to be His instrument in such an important covenantal strategy. On the other hand, God’s choice might raise an eyebrow or two, considering that Sara’s fertility required a miracle, and considering that she was vulnerable to confusion, selfishness, vengefulness and episodes of doubt. When she had waited 10 years for God to honor His promise, she finally took matters into her own hands, assuming God needed assistance. There were some inevitable negative repercussions. Sarah had a selfish streak, which she demonstrated in keeping Ishmael from sharing her son’s inheritance. Instead of practicing forgiveness, Sarah mistreated Hagar Genesis 16:6), and ungenerously urged her husband to throw Hagar and Ishmael out of the household with nothing Genesis 21:10). What was God demonstrating by choosing Sarah as the mother of the promised nation, a nation crucial to his overall plan? Maybe God was demonstrating that His promises and covenants are unconditional, that He will honor them regardless of the weaknesses of the humans He covenants with (Capoccia, 2000). God often chooses unlikely candidates to be His instruments. Rahab played an important role in the Jericho victory, yet she was certainly no saint, and neither was Mary Magdalene, yet she followed Jesus and was close to him. Peter was chosen as the rock on which Jesus would build the church, yet he denied Christ three times. Jesus chose fishermen as disciples, and Paul was an avowed enemy of Christianity, when God chose him to become an apostle. David, a child, won a difficult battle with faith and a slingshot. God is so great that He does not need the greatness of men and women to boost His efficiency and power, reliability and reputation. God can work through me and you and everyone on the earth, as He did through Sarah. He specializes in miracles. He is not limited through weakness of faith or other human obstacles (Capoccia, 2000). God can turn our mistakes and confusion into something useful, as well. Ishmael was the son of Hagar, whose relationship to Abraham was centered on the flesh. Isaac was the son of Sarah, whom God intended as the mother of Israel, a woman central to God’s covenant. So Sarah’s relationship to Abraham was centered around spirit . Paul noted the allegory that Hagar, being a bondwoman, is like Jerusalem in bondage, like the effects of the Mosaic Law, while Sarah, being a freewoman, is like the heavenly Jerusalem, which is free from the Law, and is our spiritual mother (Galatians 4:26-31). As children of a free mother, as with Isaac, we are free also and heirs of Christ, just as Isaac was the heir of Abraham and Sarah. We are children of the covenant. Christ’s fulfillment of the Law, and God’s plan leading up to that, touched Sarah’s life deeply, making her His instrument for the Abrahamic Covenant, and ultimately His instrument for the unfolding of subsequent Covenants, as well. References Capoccia, K. (2000). Women of the Bible - Sarah. Retrieved January 20, 2012, from BibleBB.com: http://www.biblebb.com/files/KSS/kss-sarah.htm Quartz Hill School of Theology. (nd). The Religion of the Canaanites. Retrieved January 24, 2012, from Quartz Hill School of theology: http://www.theology.edu/canaan.htm Read More