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COLLECTIONS
Commentaries, Word
Studies, Devotionals, Sermons, Illustrations
Old and New Testament. |
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THE GRAVITY OF ENTERING
COVENANT WITH GOD
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Definition and symbolism. What is the Hebrew phrase for covenant?
"make
a
covenant"
= idiom "Karath
Beriyth"
which is more literally "cut a covenant".
Beriyth
- contract made by passing
between pieces of cut flesh.
Karath
- Divide or cut in two, make a covenant
What is the definition of covenant? Covenant
is the most solemn, binding, intimate contract known in the Bibl.
Covenant was considered a binding agreement among the ancients,
and so was not entered into lightly. After pieces of the
sacrificial animal were laid opposite one another, the individuals
who were cutting covenant would walk between the flesh. This walk
represented the so-called "walk into death" indicating their
commitment to die to independent living and to ever after live for
their covenant partner and to fulfill the stipulations of their
covenant. Furthermore, this "walk into death" was a testimony by
each covenant partner that if either broke the covenant God would
take their life, even as had been done to the sacrificial animal.
In short, we see the gravity of entering into and then breaking
covenant. Covenant was a pledge to death. A pledge cut in
blood.
In covenant the shedding of
blood
demonstrated as nothing else could the intensity of the
commitment. By cutting covenant the two parties were bound for
life. Thus the shedding of
blood
in the cutting of covenant established the gravity and binding
nature of this transaction. And as we will study in more detail,
both the Old and the New Covenants were inaugurated with blood. The
practice of cutting covenant is found throughout history with
traces or remnants of covenant truth in every quarter of the
globe.
What
truth about covenant did
Jonathan
(heir to the throne)
demonstrate when he cut
covenant with David and
gave him his royal robe(1Sa18:1-5)? "Putting
on" the covenant partner's robe symbolizes putting on the partner's
identity.
Two become one. Now when they see one, they see the
other. Each partner is saying that "I am dying
to independent living and to my rights". Each partner would swear an oath saying in essence "God,
do so to me as to the slain animal we have walked between if I break our
covenant!" (see Jonathan's declaration
1Sa 20:13)
When do the New
Testament saints
put on Christ's robe? When we received Jesus as our Lord and
Savior, we
clothed
ourselves
with Christ (Gal 3:26-29)
-- "all our righteous
deeds...like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6)
were replaced by Christ's "garments of salvation" and "robe of
righteousness" (Isaiah 61:10).
Now when the lost world sees us, it should see His robe of righteous
attitudes and actions, now made possible by His indwelling Spirit. Our responsibility is (in the power of the Holy
Spirit) to put off the old attitudes and actions associated with darkness
and put on the deeds associated with those who walk in the light. Who did people see this
week
when they met you?
What did the exchange
of armor symbolize
(1Sa18:1-5)?
Armor ~ defense, protection. The covenant partner
was responsible to defend the partner and take on the partner's
enemies. Who is our Covenant
Defender
from
Acts 9:1-7? The Lord Jesus Christ is now obligated to
be our Defender and Protector.
What is the liberating truth of understanding God is now your
Covenant Defender? Persecution, affliction and
suffering will come upon believers (cf
2 Thes 1:3-10)
when the lost world sees us clothed in Jesus' robe ("putting of and
putting on"), but because we
have a Covenant Defender we do not need to seek revenge. God is committed to
be our Avenger and He will repay. We are called to love our enemies, pray
for them, bless those who persecute us, curse not and to overcome
evil with good (cf notes
Romans 12:14;
12:15;
12:16;
12:17;
12:18;
12:19;
12:20;
12:21,
Matthew 5:44 - note).
Paul teaches that "all who desire to live
godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (see note
2 Timothy 3:12) and that to them "it
has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to
suffer for His sake" (see note
Philippians 1:29)
What does Jesus say will be true
of those in covenant
with Him
(Jn15:18-20)?
God's enemies are our enemies. God's Enemy = This World.
The world hates Jesus.
The world hates believers.
The world will persecute us.
"World" is not the people per se (God so loved that world) and
not the physical earth or universe but the spiritual reality of the
man-centered, Satan-directed kingdom of darkness of this present evil
age (1Jn 5:19),
which is alienated from and hostile toward God and God’s people, is
opposed to the kingdom of light ruled by Christ and which manifests
itself in self-centered, godless values and mores. The goal of the
world system is self-glory, self-fulfillment, self-indulgence,
self-satisfaction, and every other form of self-serving.
In
addition to the world, God's enemies (and thus our enemies)
include the devil and the flesh. The "flesh" (not the
physical body) describes what remains of the "Old Self (Man)” after
a person is saved or redeemed. The "flesh" is the part of the believer
that will remain with us until each of us receives our glorified body.
The flesh is that part of a believer that functions apart from and
against the Spirit.
How do believers
"defend or protect"
God Who is their Covenant
Partner? Do not love the world.
Do not love things of the world.
Refuse to be friends with the world.
Separate ourselves from the world (see
1John
2:15-17,
James
4:4, 2
Cor 6:14-18,
7:1) Remember that if we are in covenant with
Jesus Christ, we are in covenant with God and He must have preeminence in
every area of our life.
What did the exchange
of belt symbolize (1Sa18:1-5)? Belt ~ strength. How does
(or should) the exchange of strength impact believers? We exchange our weakness for His strength
- as we wait on the Lord (Isaiah 40:31)
Christ's power is made perfect in our weakness (2
Cor 12:9-10).
We learn the secret that we can do all things in Christ Who continually
strengthens us within (Philippians
4:11-13). How can
believers give God our strength? Jesus taught we can by loving God with
all of our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark
12:30)
My Hope Is Built
His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood
When all around my soul gives way
He then is all my hope and stay.
ENTERING COVENANT IN THE OLD
TESTAMENT - What do we learn
about the gravity of entering into covenant from
Ge 15:9-18?
Abe killed animals, shedding blood so that he could cut the animals in
half lay them in opposition
Who walked between
the pieces of cut flesh
Ge 15:9-18?
God walked through which was symbolized by a smoking oven and flaming torch
How serious was
the covenant between Jonathan and David? Do we see evidence of a "walk
into death" to self (1Sa 20:13)?
David's enemies were Jonathan's and
thus
Jonathan was obligated to defend David against his own father Saul, who
was David's mortal enemy. Here is the important point - Covenant is serious: It supersedes and takes precedence over every relationship
including even family ties
Covenant is serious: Jonathan, heir to the throne, relinquished his personal
ambition and died to his rights when he cut covenant with David. Covenant is serious: Jonathan called for the
LORD to kill him if he failed to fulfill his obligation
What additional truths do
we learn from the
covenant Jonathan and David cut
(1Sa 20:16,
42)? It was between
their houses (families) and their descendants forever
It was forever (1Sa 20:23) Covenant is binding -
covenant partners are obligated to
one another unto death
JOSHUA &
MEN OF GIBEON CUT A COVENANT -
Who initiated this covenant
and why? (see
Joshua 9) Gibeon "great city" with
"mighty" warriors (Josh
10:2) out of fear tricked Israel (lied
saying they were from a far
country)
What was Israel's
mistake? (Josh
9:14)
They failed to consult God
How serious was Joshua
about keeping
this covenant?
(Note)
Israel fulfilled their covenant obligation to defend Gibeon when attacked.
Why? Because
Joshua understood the binding nature of covenant (Note: once the covenant was cut even their lie didn't
invalidate) How faithful was Saul some
400 years later to keep the covenant
with Gibeon? (2Sa 21:1-6) (See
note) Saul failed to keep covenant with
Gibeon. And what were the
consequences?
(See
note) There was a 3 year famine in Israel
and
7 of Saul's descendants were killed by Gibeonites in "payment" for Saul
not keeping covenant. Here is the point. In the OT, the penalty for breaking
covenant was death.
Saul must have known that Joshua had promised the Gibeonites
immunity from the extermination decreed for the other inhabitants
of Canaan but in his unbiblical "zeal" he broke the covenant. God
used the famine to bring Saul's disobedience to light. The men of
Gibeon refused David's offer of $$ and instead sought a blood
payment. Note Saul's sin was "personal" but not "private" for the
consequences affected the entire nation. This principle applies to
our personal sins.
ABRAHAMIC
COVENANT AND CIRCUMCISION - What instruction had God
given to Abraham that was to be a sign of the Abrahamic
covenant? (Ge 17:11-14)
Every male older than 8 days was to be circumcised
(see
note) What was the "penalty" for
the male
who is not circumcised?
(Ge
17:14) Any uncircumcised
male shall be cut off from his people.
"Cut off" (Karath) means either "ex-communicated" or to be killed (see
note)
(See
Scriptures on
circumcision)
What did God
seek to do to Moses in
Ex 4:24-26 and why?
He sought kill Moses.
Zipporah’s circumcision of the child averted Moses' death. This event suggests
that he had failed to circumcise his son and thus had "broken covenant" (see
Ge
17:14). Again we see the
seriousness of failing to keep covenant. God was teaching Moses (on his
way to address Pharaoh) that He was serious about covenant.
GOD'S COVENANT
WITH MOSES AND ISRAEL
Exodus 24:1-11 What did Moses do with the
words and ordinances of God? He recounted the covenant, wrote it down and read
"the book of the covenant" a second time. And how did Israel respond? Twice
Israel vowed "we will do" all the
words of the LORD. What else accompanied this covenant? An altar, sacrifices (blood), 12
pillars (witness), a covenant meal, dividing of blood into half on the
altar and half on all the people. How
does
Heb 9:18-20
interpret this bloody covenant
ritual?
This first covenant was inaugurated with "The blood of the covenant"
which
was sprinkled on the book (not mentioned in Ex 24) and
all the
people.
The sprinkled blood bound both parties (God and Israel) to keep the
terms of the covenant
In
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
what did God
promise to Israel would be the result of keeping or not keeping covenant?
That He had set before them the blessing and the curse. He clearly
stated the principle that for their obedience they would receive Life &
prosperity and for disobedience, death and adversity. Who was called as
witness to this covenant? heaven and earth. Why did God warn them they
would die? Because of their failure to keep covenant. How could Israel choose
life? (Dt 30:20)
By loving the LORD, obeying His voice and holding fast to Him.
In
Jeremiah 22:1-9
what did Jehovah
say would happen to the house of the King
in Jerusalem
if he persisted in disobedience? It would be a desolation, like a wilderness. What would even pagan
nations recognize when they saw the desolation? They would recognize and
acknowledge that Israel had forsaken the
covenant of the LORD, bowed to other gods and served them ("Spiritual adultery" cf
Js 4:4)
Even the pagans understood the binding nature of covenant and also the
penalty for breaking covenant.
In
Jeremiah
34:8-22
who cut covenant
and what were the stipulations
(Jer
34:8-11)? King Zedekiah
and Israel agreed to set their Hebrew slaves free. At first they all
obeyed but then they reneged and reinstated slavery. Why did they renege? Possibly because the Babylonian army
withdrew (cf v21"the king of Babylon which has gone away from you") as result of the encroaching Egyptian army (Jer 37:5-10)
When the pressure was off, they broke covenant by taking back the
slaves. Do I just obey when the pressure is on me?
What does the LORD appeal to in
(Jer 34:13-14)? Release
the Hebrew slaves
every 7 years. How was covenant
ritual described? (Jer 34:18-19)
They cut a calf in half, passed between its parts thus taking the "Walk of death".
They were saying in essence “May my life (represented by the blood) be poured out if
I fail to honor my part.” What did the Lord say Israel
had they done to His Name by failing to keep their covenant
agreement? (Jer 34:13-22) They profaned God's Name. What was Jehovah's sentence
for breaking this covenant?
(Jer
34:17-18) Release from His protection to
pestilence, famine and terror. He gave them into hands of enemies, the
resulting penalty for breaking covenant being death. Is there any doubt
that God takes covenant quite seriously!
How does this
OT truth about covenant parallel the believer's
entering covenant in the New Testament? How did Isaiah
describe Messiah in (Isa
42:6)?
Messiah is the Covenant. What role did Malachi
ascribe to Messiah in regard to the covenant (Mal
3:1)? Messiah is the Messenger
of the Covenant. The Hebrew word for
"messenger" is
mal'ak
which describes one who carries a
message, who performs a specific commission or who officially
represents the sender. Messiah functioned in all of these
capacities.
How did Jesus, Himself the Covenant and the Messenger of the Covenant,
convey the message of the New Covenant? (Matt
26:26-28) At
the Passover Meal
He took common elements, the Bread
symbolizing His body and the Wine His blood, and explained it as
"the blood of the covenant"
MacArthur notes that
"The bread that had represented the
Exodus (in the Passover supper) now came to represent the body
of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. To the Jewish mind the body represented the whole person, not just his physical
body. Jesus’ body represents the great mystery of His whole
incarnate life, His whole teaching, ministry, and work—all He was
and all He did...The cup (3rd of 4 cups of wine that made
up the Passover celebration) that had represented the lamb’s blood
smeared on the doorposts and lintels now came to represent the blood
of the Lamb of God, shed for the salvation of the world. The Old
Covenant was ratified repeatedly by the blood
of animals offered by men; but the New Covenant has been ratified
once and for all by the blood
of Jesus Christ (Heb. 9:28), which God Himself has offered. The
old deliverance was merely from Egypt to Canaan. So Jesus took the cup and said it is the new covenant in My blood.
It is important to realize that this was not new in the sense that
it was a covenant of grace replacing one of works. It is new in
that it is the saving covenant to which all the Old Testament
shadows pointed. The new deliverance is from sin to salvation,
from death to life, from Satan’s realm to God’s heaven.
Passover was transformed into the Lord’s Supper. We now eat the
bread and drink the cup not to remember the Red Sea and the Exodus but
to remember the cross and the Savior." (MacArthur,
J: 1Corinthians. Chicago: Moody Press)
What does Paul record that Jesus
commanded concerning the New Covenant? (1Cor
11:24) Do this
in remembrance of Me. Note that the verb "do" is in the
present imperative
which is a command to do this habitually. Sharing in the Lord's Supper
is not optional. What are we to remember? Considering the fact that the
mean symbolizes covenant, some of the things we are to remember include
the fact that covenant is serious, that cutting covenant is costly
(Cross), that His death was for our sin, that Jesus in fact took the "walk of death"
so to speak, that believers in the New Covenant are to "wear His garment",
to defend His name and to not love the world.
What do we proclaim when
we take the Lord's supper, the New Covenant
meal? (1Cor
11:26) The Lord's death until He comes
-- looking back to His
death and looking forward to His return and then living in light
of that blessed hope. Beloved, what you are looking for
will determine what you are living for. What is Paul's warning
about not taking covenant
seriously
in (1Cor
11:27-34)? In verse 27 he
warns that whoever eats or drinks unworthy manner (like a common meal, division,
faction, ritualistically, indifferently, with an unrepentant
heart, a spirit of bitterness, or any other ungodly attitude as
Corinthians were manifesting) is guilty
of body and blood of the Lord and therefore one should examine self
(v28), else they would received judgment if they fail to judge the body rightly
(v29), that this Judgment was already manifest by the fact that many
were weak and sick and a number slept (had died). Paul encouraged them
that if we judged self rightly, we should not be judged. (v31). In (v32)
he equated judged with being disciplined (child training) by the Lord that we not be condemned.
The New Covenant meal in Christ's blood is a reflection of the
solemn nature of covenant and can serve as a time of purification
for the church or of discipline even unto death for those who
refuse to prepare their hearts for communion. The Lord chastens to
drive His people back to righteous behavior and even sends death
to some in the church to remove them before they could be
condemned
What is the relationship between faith and
obedience? W E Vine defines "Faith
(Greek = pistis)" by
three main elements: (1) Firm conviction producing a full acknowledgement of God's
revelation or truth. (2) Personal surrender to Him and (3) Conduct inspired by such surrender. (Vine adds that "Prominence is given to one or other of
these elements according to the context")
William Barclay defines "faith" as that which
"begins with
receptivity. It begins when a man is at least willing to
listen to the message of the truth. It goes on to mental assent.
A man first hears and then agrees that this is true. But mental
assent need not issue in action. Many a man knows very well that
something is true, but does not change his actions to meet that
knowledge. The final stage is when this mental assent becomes
total surrender. In full-fledged faith, a man hears the
Christian message, agrees that it is true, and then casts himself
upon it in a life of total yieldedness." (Barclay,
W: The Daily Study Bible Series, Rev. ed. Philadelphia: The Westminster
Press) (Bolding added)
How does
Hebrews 3:18-19 the help us understand the
meaning of faith
and its relationship to obedience? Those who were disobedient (apeitheo
= "refuse to believe, not to allow one's self to be persuaded")
could not enter God's rest. Why not? Because they had manifested unbelief (apistia)
or Lack of faith, distrust, refusing to trust, not believing. What is the parallel
relationship? Belief is clearly related to
obedience. It follows that Biblically defined belief affects behavior
and shows itself in obedience.
What do we learn about the
association between faith
and obedience
from the following verses?
Romans 1:5 "Through
Him and for His name's sake, we received grace and
apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience
that comes from faith" (NIV) (See
notes).
Romans 16:26 The gospel "is manifested, and
by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the
eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith (NIV "so that all nations might believe and obey
him")" (See
notes)
Regarding the phrase
"Obedience of faith" noted expositor John MacArthur comments
that
"It is not that faith plus obedience equals
salvation but that obedient faith equals salvation. True
faith is verified in obedience. Obedient faith
proves itself true, whereas disobedient faith proves itself
false. It is for having true faith, that is, obedient faith, that
Paul goes on to commend the Roman believers... Together, faith
and obedience manifest the inseparable two sides of the coin of
salvation. (Click
for more detailed discussion)
2 Thessalonians 1:8
To those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus
William MacDonald commenting on this verse writes that this verse
speaks about
"those who have heard the gospel and have rejected
it. The gospel is not simply a statement of facts to be
believed, but a Person to be obeyed. Belief in
the NT sense involves obedience." (MacDonald,
W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson)
What association do you see
between faith and works in
Eph 2:8-10
(see notes
Ephesians 2:8,
2:9.
2:10)? For by grace you have been
saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift
of God not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we
are His workmanship ("masterpiece" poiema gives us English "poem"), created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Clearly this
verse teaches that faith alone saves but the faith that
saves is not alone!
What is our
responsibility as those who have entered into the New Covenant by grace
through faith? To walk in obedience and to warn others of the serious and binding nature of covenant.
The question we all need to ask ourselves is does our covenant
relationship with Christ supersede every other relationship?
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| H Clay Trumbull
has discovered elements of covenant throughout history in all cultures. He
comments that...
"There are historic traces of it, from
time immemorial, in every quarter of the globe.... This close and sacred
covenant relation, this rite of blood-friendship, this inter-oneness of
life by an inter-oneness of blood, shows itself in the primitive East and
in the wild and prehistoric West, in the frozen North as in the torrid
South. Its traces are everywhere. It is of old, and it is of today; as
universal and as full of meaning as life itself."' (The Blood Covenant;
Impact Books) |
Joshua
and the Hivites of Gibeon Cut a Binding Covenant
In
Joshua 9
we see the principle of covenant and
how covenant binds one to take on the other covenant partner's enemies.
Joshua had entered Canaan which by virtue of God's promise in the
Abrahamic Covenant was to be Israel's permanent possession. Joshua
strategizes to defeat the enemies occupying the land with a three‑pronged attack. The people in
Canaan are trembling
because they have heard about the defeat of Jericho by Joshua's army
(really by Joshua's God). The iniquity of the Amorites is full and the
children of Israel are going in to take the land. It is right that they
do so because God is judging the land of Canaan for their sins (cf
Genesis 15:16). After they go in there is a group of people, the
Gibeonites, who are very much afraid.
Joshua 9:3-27 records this
fascinating but sad interlude in Israel's history...
When the inhabitants of Gibeon
(located in the heart of Canaan about 6 miles north of Jerusalem) heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, (4) they also acted
craftily and set out as envoys, and took worn-out sacks on their
donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended, (5) and worn-out
and patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes on themselves;
and all the bread of their provision was dry and had become crumbled.
(6) And they went to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and
to the men of Israel, "We have come from a far country; now therefore,
make a
covenant."
(7) And the men of Israel said to the Hivites, "Perhaps you are living
within our land; how then shall we
make a
covenant
with you?" (8) But they said to Joshua, "We are your servants." Then
Joshua said to them, "Who are you, and where do you come from?" (9) And
they said to him, "Your servants have come from a very far country (Note:
they are lying)
because of the fame of the LORD your God; for we have heard the report
of Him and all that He did in Egypt, (10) and all that He did to the two
kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og
king of Bashan who was at Ashtaroth. (11) So our elders and all the
inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, 'Take provisions in your
hand for the journey, and go to meet them and say to them, "We are your
servants; now then,
make a
covenant
with us. (12) "This our bread was warm when we took it for our
provisions out of our houses on the day that we left to come to you; but
now behold, it is dry and has become crumbled. (Note:
they are deceptive) (13) And
these wineskins which we filled were new, and behold, they are torn; and
these our clothes and our sandals are worn out because of the very long
journey." (14) So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did
not ask for the counsel of the LORD. (Note:
The leaders acted independent of God which is the very essence of all
sin. How many times would this verse be appended to our words and
actions?! Not only that, but God had clearly commanded Israel not to
make a
covenant
with any pf the inhabitants of Canaan (cf
Deut 7:2
"and when the LORD your God shall
deliver them before you, and you shall defeat them, then you shall
utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and
show no favor to them.").
Instead, they were to drive them out lest their corrupting influences cause them to stumble and
worship their idolatrous gods.)
(15) And Joshua made peace with them and
make a
covenant
with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation
swore an oath to them (Note:
the common elements of covenant - peace, swearing of an oath).
(16) And it came about at the end of three days after they had
make a
covenant
with them, that they heard that they were neighbors and that they were
living within their land.
(17) Then the sons of Israel set out and
came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon and
Chephirah and Beeroth and Kiriath-jearim. (18) And the sons of Israel did
not strike them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to
them by the LORD the God of Israel (Note:
the solemn, binding nature of covenant, even cut under such questionable
circumstances.) (18) And the
whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. (19) But all the leaders
said to the whole congregation, "We have sworn to them by the LORD,
the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. (Note: in fact
Israel was now the "covenant defender" of the Gibeonites!) (20) "This we
will do to them, even let them live, lest wrath be upon us for the oath
which we swore to them." (Note:
The leaders understood the binding nature of their covenant and knew
that they dare not break it lest God bring retribution against them.)
(21) And the leaders said to them,
"Let them live." So they became hewers of wood and drawers of water for
the whole congregation, just as the leaders had spoken to them. (22)
Then Joshua called for them and spoke to them, saying, "Why have you
deceived us, saying, 'We are very far from you,' when you are living
within our land? (23) "Now therefore, you are cursed, and you shall
never cease being slaves, both hewers of wood and drawers of water for
the house of my God." (24) So they answered Joshua and said, "Because it
was certainly told your servants that the LORD your God had commanded
His servant Moses to give you all the land (Note:
this is "remnant" of covenant, for the unconditional promise of the land
of Canaan was given initially to Abraham not Moses),
and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you; therefore we
feared greatly for our lives because of you, and have done this thing.
(25) "And now behold, we are in your hands; do as it seems good and
right in your sight to do to us." (26) Thus he did to them, and
delivered them from the hands of the sons of Israel, and they did not
kill them. (Note:
because of the covenant)
(27) But Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water
for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD, to this day, in the
place which He would choose.
As we have noted, remnants of truth about covenant
were known throughout the peoples of the
earth. The Gibeonites knew about covenant though they did not know
the Covenant Keeping God.
And yet even though they were pagans, they knew that covenant was a solemn, binding
agreement. They knew that if they duped the leaders of Israel into
cutting a
covenant
that
Israel would be bound to protect them as their covenant partner and
would would not be able to destroy
them as God had decreed.
Did Joshua fulfill his promise to
be the covenant defender of Gibeon? When the Gibeonites were
attacked by Adoni-zedek the Amorite king of Jerusalem along with 9 other
kings, the men of Gibeon appealed to the solemn covenant with Israel,
Joshua 10
recording that...
"the five kings of the Amorites, the
king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of
Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they with
all their armies, and camped by Gibeon and fought against it. Then the
men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, saying, "Do not
abandon your servants (Note:
here they appeal to the binding covenant with Israel that she would be
their defender and their enemies would be Israel's enemies);
come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the
Amorites that live in the hill country have assembled against us." So
Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him and
all the valiant warriors. And the LORD said to Joshua, "Do not fear
them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand
before you." So Joshua came upon them suddenly by marching all night
from Gilgal. And the LORD confounded them before Israel, and He slew
them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and pursued them by the way of
the ascent of Beth-horon, and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah.
And it came about as they fled from before Israel, while they were at
the descent of Beth-horon, that the LORD threw large stones from heaven
on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died from
the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.
Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the
Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,
"O sun, stand still at Gibeon, And O moon in the valley of Aijalon." So
the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation avenged
themselves of their enemies (Note:
Gibeon's enemies were now Israel's enemies).
Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the
middle of the sky, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.
And there was no day like that before it or after it, when the LORD
listened to the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel."
Joshua remained true to his covenant
vow and experienced a supernatural victory (brought about by Jehovah
Israel's Covenant Defender!), relieving the besieged city, pursuing the
attackers down the ascent of Beth-horon and winning decisively.
How serious and long-lasting was
Israel's covenant with Gibeon?
God is serious about keeping
covenant. Note that the following vignette occurs 400-500 years
after Joshua had cut covenant with the Gibeonites. In
2 Samuel 21:1-6 where we read as follows...
Now there was a famine in the
days of David for three years, year after year; and David sought the
presence of the LORD. And the LORD said, "It is for Saul and his bloody
house, because he put the Gibeonites to death." (Note:
God used the famine to bring Saul's disobedience the attention of David.
Note carefully that Saul's sin was "personal" but it was not "private"
in the sense that the consequences had broad ranging effects. The same
principle applies to our personal sins. Saul must have known that Joshua
had promised the Gibeonites immunity from the extermination decreed for
the other inhabitants of Canaan but in his unbiblical "zeal" he broke
the covenant) So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them (now the
Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel but of the remnant of the
Amorites, and the sons of Israel
make a
covenant
with them, but Saul had
sought to kill them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah). Thus David said to the Gibeonites, "What should I do for you? And how
can I make atonement that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?"
(David asked the Gibeonites
what they would accept as settlement for Saul's breaking of the covenant
peace agreement. He was hoping to pay them off in money) Then the Gibeonites said to him, "We have no concern of silver or gold
with Saul or his house, nor is it for us to put any man to death in
Israel." And he said, "I will do for you whatever you say." So they said to the king, "The man who consumed us, and who planned to
exterminate us from remaining within any border of Israel, let seven men from his sons be given to us, and we will hang them
before the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD." And the king
said, "I will give them."
When David tried to arrange matters
with them they stood upon their ancient covenant rights, claiming
life for life, which is in keeping with the solemn nature of covenant
when it is broken by one of the parties. The Gibeonites would accept no
"blood money" but instead demanded blood from the family of the slayer
of their people. And so seven men of Saul’s descendants were given over to the
Gibeonites, who hung them “before Jehovah”—as a kind of sacrifice—in
Gibeah, Saul’s own town! God is serious about keeping covenant! |
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MEANING OF
CIRCUMCISION AND BE CUT OFF:
CIRCUMCISION:
Moses tells us that circumcision was a sign. To carry it out was to obey
God's instruction.
Mills has a lucid well
reasoned comment writing that...
The rite of
circumcision was the one demand God made on Abraham and his descendants.
There is no magical power in this rite; it is simply a demonstration of
faith by the covenant people, depicting that the father who does the
circumcising believes in the effectiveness of the covenant which God gave
Abraham: it is the father’s profession of confidence in God’s ability to
do what He has promised (Rom 4:11–13). Ishmael, for instance, was
circumcised as a demonstration of Abraham’s faith in the covenant, but
this did not automatically place Ishmael under Israel’s covenantal
blessings. (Mills, M. Genesis : A study guide to the book of Genesis.
Dallas: 3E Ministries)
Willmington alliteratively
summarizes circumcision as...
the
sign and seal, but not the source, of God’s promise:
Faith in God’s word is the source (Genesis 15:6; Rom. 4:1–12). (Willmington, H. L. Willmington's Bible handbook. Page 17.
Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers)
Warren Wiersbe writes that...
It is important to
note that circumcision was not a “sacrament.” The performing of it did not
convey spiritual blessing to the recipient. An eight-day-old baby boy
(Lev. 12:3) would not even understand what was going on; and when he got
older, the ritual would have to be explained to him. It was the obedience
of the parents that was important; for if they did not obey God in this
matter, their son would be cut off from his people (Gen. 17:14). The
covenant people must bear the mark of the covenant. (Wiersbe,
W. W. Be obedient. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books)
In another of his prodigious
writings, Wiersbe adds that...
This is the first mention of
circumcision in the Bible. Nowhere does the OT teach that circumcision
saves a man. It is but the outward symbol of the covenant between God and
men. It was to remind them of the inward circumcision of the heart that
accompanies true salvation (Deut. 10:16, Deut 30:6; Jer 4:4; see
Rom. 4:11, Gal. 5:6). (Wiersbe,
W. W. Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament. Wheaton, Ill.:
Victor Books)
The Believer's Study Bible
succinctly writes that...
"the
Abrahamic covenant, although conveying unconditional promises to Abraham,
also included obligations by which individual descendants would express
their faith and enjoy the blessings. Circumcision was an act of obedience
and faith." (MacDonald,
W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson)
The Nelson Study Bible comments
that....
There is something of a pun in the expression,
cut off. Any man who did
not accept circumcision would be cut off...Circumcision—an outward
sign—stood for a thorough commitment to God—an inward
reality. (Radmacher,
E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. The Nelson study Bible : New King
James Version. Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers)
The Preacher's Commentary
writes that...
The covenant was clearly one of grace appropriated by faith, but at the
same time the faith had to be manifested in obedience and circumcision was
ample evidence of that obedience. (Briscoe, D. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. Vol. 1: The Preacher's Commentary
Series. Page 150. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas
Nelson Inc.)
In his book "The Genesis Record"
Henry Morris writes that...
All this was done on
the same day God had spoken to him. This required a particular act of faith on Abraham’s part, since it no doubt incapacitated all the males in
his community for several days, thus leaving his home and possessions with
no protection at all (save God!). One can imagine there may have been a
great many questions from his household that day and quite possibly some
resistance. Nevertheless, finally all submitted and this in itself must
have been a testimony to the effectiveness of Abraham’s influence and
esteem in his own household. By this time at least, everyone knew that God
was with Abraham; and if this was what God asked of them, they, along with
Abraham, would obey.
"BE
CUT OFF"
In regard to the uncircumcised male
being "cut off from his people", there are two considerations (1) "ex-communication"
from the tribe or (2) loss of one's life.
Although it is difficult to be
dogmatic the following passages tend to support "cut off" as a
reference to physical death:
(1) note that in Exodus 4:24 God
is clearly going to kill Abraham and the context supports that this is
punishment for not circumcising his son.
(2) In
Exodus 31:14,15
we see the same verb
Karath
referring to
physical death not just excommunication, Moses recording that "you are to
observe the sabbath (the sign of the covenant between God and
Israel), for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely
be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be
cut off (karath) from among his people." God was serious
about this covenant, as indicated by the penalty He called for.
(3) The first use of "cut off" in Scripture in
Genesis 9:11
refers to physical
death Moses recording "I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh
shall never again be cut off (karath) by the water of the flood,
neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth." This use
however is only indirect support, but it clearly indicates that Scripture
used
Karath
to refer to physical death in several contexts.
(4) The
Septuagint (LXX)
translation renders this verse as "And the uncircumcised male, who shall
not be circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin on the eighth day, that
soul shall be utterly destroyed from its family, for he has broken
my covenant." This Greek verb (exolothreuo)
(for the Hebrew verb karath) was used by Peter warning that "it shall be
that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed
from among the people." (speaking of the fate of his Jewish audience if
they failed to enter the New Covenant - the only alternative was to
experience eternal separation from those who have entered the New Covenant
by faith in Messiah even as those who "entered" the Abrahamic Covenant did
so by faith "Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as
righteousness" Genesis 15:6)
John MacArthur whose
interpretations are always worthy of note does not favor "cut off" to mean
kill instead writing that...
Being cut off from the covenant community meant loss of temporal benefits
stemming from being part of the special, chosen, and theocratic nation,
even to the point of death by divine judgment. (MacArthur,
J.: The MacArthur Study Bible Nashville: Word Pub)
MacDonald agrees with
MacArthur writing that...
Every male in Abraham’s house was circumcised, and thereafter every male
baby was to be circumcised when he was eight days old or else be cut off
from his people—that is, put away from the congregation of Israel (vv.
9–14). The expression “cut off” sometimes means to put to death, as in
Exodus 31:14,15. In other places, as here, it seems to mean to ban or
ostracize.(MacDonald,
W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson)
The KJV Study Bible writes
that
A Hebrew who failed to observe this rite would be cut off from the
covenant community. Circumcision was to serve as an outward sign of inward
dedication to God. In itself, it was neither efficacious, nor unique to
Israel. (King
James Version study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson
)
Matthew Henry comments
that...
The religious
observance of this institution was required under a very severe
penalty, v. 14. The contempt of circumcision was a contempt of the
covenant (Ed note: to refuse circumcision was tantamount to rejecting the
covenant); if the parents did not circumcise their children, it was at
their peril, as in the case of Moses, Ex. 4:24, 25. With respect to
those that were not circumcised in their infancy, if, when they grew up,
they did not themselves come under this ordinance, God would surely reckon
with them. If they cut not off the flesh of their foreskin, God would cut
them off from their people. It is a dangerous thing to make light of
divine institutions, and to live in the neglect of them. (Henry, M. Matthew Henry's
Commentary on the whole Bible)
Wenham feels that to "be cut
off"
"has been
supposed to involve excommunication from the community, to be “cut off”
seems more likely to be divine punishment resulting in the offender’s
untimely death. “The threat of being ‘cut off’ by the hand of God, in His
own time, hovers over the offender constantly and inescapably; he is not
unlike the patient who is told by his doctors that his disease is
incurable and that he might die any day” (H. H. Cohn, ILR 5 [1970] 72; cf.
W. Horbury, VT 35 [1985] 31–33)." (Wenham, G. J. Vol. 2: Word
Biblical Commentary : Genesis 16-50. Word Biblical Commentary Page 25.
Dallas: Word, Incorporated)
SCRIPTURES
ON CIRCUMCISION:
Genesis 17:9 God said further to
Abraham, "Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your
descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 "This is My
covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants
after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 "And you
shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it
shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 "And every male
among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout
your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with
money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants. 13 "A servant
who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be
circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an
everlasting covenant. 14 "But an uncircumcised male who is
not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall
be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."
Circumcision (cutting away the
male foreskin) was not entirely new in this period of history, but the
special religious and theocratic significance then applied to it was
entirely new, thus identifying the circumcised as belonging to the
physical and ethnical lineage of Abraham (cf. Acts 7:8; Rom. 4:11).
Without divine revelation, the rite would not have had this distinctive
significance, thus it remained a theocratic distinctive of Israel (cf. v.
13). There was a health benefit, since disease could be kept in the
folds of the foreskin, so that removing it prevented that. Historically,
Jewish women have had the lowest rate of cervical cancer. But the
symbolism had to do with the need to cut away sin and be cleansed. It was
the male organ which most clearly demonstrated the depth of depravity
because it carried the seed that produced depraved sinners....This
cleansing of the physical organ so as not to pass on disease... was a
picture of the deep need for cleansing from depravity, which is most
clearly revealed by procreation, as men produce sinners and only sinners.
Circumcision points to the fact that cleansing is needed at the
very core of a human being, a cleansing God offers to the faithful and
penitent through the sacrifice of Christ to come. (MacArthur,
J.: The MacArthur Study Bible Nashville: Word Pub) (Bolding added)
Circumcision was God’s appointed
“sign of the covenant” (v. 11), which signified Abraham’s covenanted
commitment to the Lord—that the Lord alone would be his God, whom he would
trust and serve. It symbolized a self-maledictory oath (analogous to the
oath to which God had submitted himself; see note on 15:17): “If I am not
loyal in faith and obedience to the Lord, may the sword of the Lord cut
off me and my offspring (see v. 14) as I have cut off my foreskin.” Thus
Abraham was to place himself under the rule of the Lord as his King,
consecrating himself, his offspring and all he possessed to the service of
the Lord. (NIV
Study Bible()
Leviticus 26:41 I also was
acting with hostility against them, to bring them into the land of their
enemies-- or if their uncircumcised heart becomes humbled so
that they then make amends for their iniquity, 42 then I will remember My
covenant with Jacob, and I will remember also My covenant with Isaac, and
My covenant with Abraham as well, and I will remember the land.
Deuteronomy 10:16 "Circumcise
then your heart, and stiffen your neck no more."
Physical circumcision was
important as the sign of the covenant (cf. Gen. 17:10 and Gen. 17:9,
note), and was intended as an outward act bearing eloqu | |