THE GRAVITY (SOLEMNITY)
OF ENTERING
COVENANT WITH GOD

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, 2, 3, 4, 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, 27, 28, 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 Ro 12:14; 15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20; 21-notes Ro 12:14; 15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20; 21, Mt 5:44  - note).

Paul teaches that "all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (see 2 Timothy 3:12-note) 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 Philippians 1:29- note)

What does Jesus say will be true of those in covenant with Him (Jn15:18, 19, 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 1Jn 2:15, 15, 16, 17-note , Jas 4:4-note,  2Cor 6:14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 2Co 7:1-note) 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, 2, 3, 4, 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 (2Cor 12:9-note, 2Cor 12:10-note). We learn the secret that we can do all things in Christ Who continually strengthens us within (Phil 4:11-note, Phil 4:12 -note; Phil 4:13-note). 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, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 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 (1Samuel 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 9:1ff) Gibeon "great city" with "mighty" warriors (Joshua 10:2) out of fear tricked Israel (lied saying they were from a far country) What was Israel's mistake? (Joshua 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, 2, 3, 4, 5, 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, 12, 13, 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, 25, 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, 19, 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, 16, 17, 18, 19, 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, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 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 James 4:4) Even the pagans understood the binding nature of covenant and also the penalty for breaking covenant.

In Jeremiah 34:8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 who cut covenant and what were the stipulations (Jer 34:8, 9, 10, 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 Jer 34:21"the king of Babylon which has gone away from you") as result of the encroaching Egyptian army (Jer 37:5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 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, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 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 (Isaiah 42:6)? Messiah is the Covenant.  What role did Malachi ascribe to Messiah in regard to the covenant (Malachi 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? (Mt 26:26, 27, 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, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)?

In 1Cor 11:27 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 (1Cor 11:28), else they would received judgment  if they fail to judge the body rightly (1Cor 11:29), 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. (1Cor 11:31). In (1Cor 11:32) 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 [word study]  = "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?

Ro 1:5 (See notes) "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). Ro 16:26 (See notes) 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")"
 

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)

2Thessalonians 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)

JOSHUA'S COVENANT
WITH THE GIBEONITES

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, 2, 3, 4, 5, 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."

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 (Ro 4:11, 12, 13 - see notes Romans 4:11; 12; 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; Ro 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 (Ge 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-note ;  see Ro 4:11-note, 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 (Ge 17:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 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; Ro 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” (Ge 17:11), 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: “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 eloquent witness to the cutting away of the hardness of sin from the heart of man (cf. Jer. 6:10; Ex. 6:12). (MacDonald, W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson)

The proper response to their election by the sovereign Lord was to circumcise their hearts (cf. 30:6). An uncircumcised heart means a will that is hardened against God’s commands. It is another way of saying the person is stiff-necked or stubborn (cf. 9:6, 13; 31:27). Thus the command to circumcise their hearts assumes that human hearts are naturally rebellious and need correction. Though human hearts are slow to change, Moses warned the nation that no bribe or anything less than an inward transformation could satisfy the Lord, who is the great God. God’s treatment of the helpless (the fatherless . . . the widow, and the alien) further illustrates His absolutely just character (showing no partiality) and highlights His requirement for Israel to be just. (Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., et al: The Bible Knowledge Commentary. 1985. Victor). (Bolding added)

Deuteronomy 30:6 "Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live.

(Deut 30:1, 2, 3, 4, 5 prophesies of) The gathering of Jews out of all the countries of the earth (that) will follow Israel’s final redemption. Restoration to the Land will be in fulfillment of the promise of the covenant given to Abraham (see Ge 12:7; 13:15; 15:18, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21; 17:8) and so often reiterated by Moses and the prophets. (Circumcision of their heart is a) work of God in the innermost being of the individual is the true salvation that grants a new will to obey Him in place of the former spiritual insensitivity and stubbornness (cf. Jer 4:4; 9:25; Ro 2:28,29). This new heart will allow the Israelite to love the Lord wholeheartedly, and is the essential feature of the New Covenant. (MacArthur, J.: The MacArthur Study Bible Nashville: Word Pub)  (Bolding added)

The promise that the Lord your God will circumcise your hearts (cf. Deut 10:16) means that God will graciously grant the nation a new will to obey Him in place of their former spiritual insensitivity and stubbornness. After returning to the Promised Land with a new heart they will remain committed to the Lord and therefore will experience abundant blessing (live). Loving Him wholeheartedly (cf. Deut 30:16, 20), they would not fall back into apostasy as they had done before. A new heart is an essential feature of the New Covenant (cf. Ezek. 36:24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32), which will not be fulfilled for Israel as a nation until the return of Jesus Christ (cf. Jer. 31:31, 32, 33, 34). (Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., et al: The Bible Knowledge Commentary. 1985. Victor)

Jeremiah 4:4 "Circumcise yourselves to the LORD and remove the foreskins of your heart, men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest My wrath go forth like fire and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds."

Here the meaning of circumcision is the idea of purifying, separating from the sinful tendency of the flesh, that propensity inherited from Adam in which the unregenerate seeks only to please self, never  God. In other words, God desires that the inward condition match one's outward profession, which pf course is not just an OT idea related to circumcision. God's intent has always been that the outward symbols (e.g., circumcision, baptism) should be signs of an inward reality of a new heart willing to and now able to obey Him. Mere outward conformity to the standards of the covenant does not please God

MacArthur writes

This surgery (Gen. 17:10, 11, 12, 13, 14) was to cut away flesh that could hold disease in its folds and could pass the disease on to wives. It was important for the preservation of God’s people physically. But it was also a symbol of the need for the heart to be cleansed from sin’s deadly disease. The really essential surgery needed to happen on the inside, where God calls for taking away fleshly things that keep the heart from being spiritually devoted to Him and from true faith in Him and His will. Jeremiah later expanded on this theme (Jeremiah 31:31, 32, 33, 34; cf. Deut. 10:16; 30:6; Ro 2:29). God selected the reproductive organ as the location of the symbol for man’s need of cleansing for sin, because it is the instrument most indicative of his depravity, since by it he reproduces generations of sinners. (MacArthur, J.: The MacArthur Study Bible Nashville: Word Pub)

Jeremiah 9:25 "Behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet uncircumcised--26 Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the sons of Ammon, and Moab, and all those inhabiting the desert who clip the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart."

Conformity to the external standard of circumcision must be accompanied by "circumcision" of the heart to please God. To see how one can "circumcise the heart" see the teaching by Paul in Romans 2 and Colossians 2 (below).

Ezekiel 44:6 "And you shall say to the rebellious ones, to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Enough of all your abominations, O house of Israel, 7 when you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart (spiritual circumcision, a new heart) and uncircumcised in flesh, (physical circumcision) to be in My sanctuary to profane it, even My house (the Temple in Jerusalem), when you offered My food, the fat and the blood; for they made My covenant void-- this in addition to all your abominations. 8 "And you have not kept charge of My holy things yourselves, but you have set foreigners to keep charge of My sanctuary." 9 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary.

Romans 2:28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God. (See notes Romans 2:28,  2:29)

Due to the passing down of teaching from one rabbi to another over the centuries ("traditions of men") the true meaning and requirement of circumcision had been lost. And so by the 1st century we find rabbinical "traditions" teaching such fallacies as: “No circumcised Jewish man will see hell” and “Circumcision saves us from hell.” The Midrash says

“God swore to Abraham that no one who was circumcised would be sent to hell. Abraham sits before the gate of hell and never allows any circumcised Israelite to enter.” 

Here Paul Paul corrects this serious error in rabbinical interpretation and also explains the somewhat enigmatic OT passages alluding to "circumcision of the heart", clearly stating that it is a spiritual circumcision performed by the Holy Spirit at the time one receives the Messiah as Savior. It is salvation by grace through faith -- in the OT it was placing one's faith in a prophesied, promised Deliverer as one looked forward to the Cross of Messiah and in the NT it is looking back to Messiah's finished work of redemption at Calvary. Colossians 2:11 (notes) also amplifies the true meaning of the circumcision that God has always desired.

Colossians 2:9 For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

Circumcision is a cutting away of something and therefore signifies a removal of that which has been cut away. In this verse Paul is clearly using the well known procedure of circumcision not to describe the physical act but ["without hands"] to describe spiritual circumcision.  Here Paul uses the circumcision metaphor to explain the same spiritual transaction he discussed in Romans 6:1-11, which describes in detail of the events that occurred when we placed our faith in Christ. At that very moment we were "circumcised with a circumcision made without hands", we were "baptized into Christ" (Galatians 3:27 = identified with Christ) and we experienced a death, burial and resurrection by virtue of our very real spiritual union with Christ. (Colossians 2:11, 12, 13-notes)

Regarding the "removal of the body of the flesh" the Greek verb gives us the picture of taking off and putting away clothes. And so by analogy "the body of the flesh" is taken off like an old garment (by the Spirit at the time of salvation when Galatians 3:27 teaches we "clothed ourselves with Christ", we exchanged our filthy rags of righteousness for His garment of righteousness).  At the moment of salvation, the "body of the flesh" was put off in the sense that it was rendered inoperative  (see Romans 6:6-note) and now can no longer reign like a cruel dictator over believers as it did when we were unregenerate. The ruling power of this old sinful nature has been broken (Romans 6:7, 12, 14, 18, 22 - see notes Ro 6:7, 12, 14, 18, 22). Note that the evil nature is not eradicated, for we still sin, but the power of Sin (our old "dictator") has been broken, and as we yield to and are led by the Spirit of Christ (See Romans 8:14-note) we are enabled to walk in the power of the Spirit (See Romans 8:4; 8:5; 8:6; 8:12 notes Ro 8:4; 8:5; 8:6; 12) and "by the Spirit" to put "to death the deeds of the body" (see Romans 8:13-note). "The flesh" now can exert no more power over a believer than he or she allows it to have.

In short the distinguishing features of the circumcision made without hands are: (1) not external but internal and not made with hands, (2) It divests not of part of the flesh, but of the whole body of carnal affections (the power of sin has been rendered inoperative so now we truly can say "no") and (3) this circumcision is not of Moses nor of Abraham but of Christ.

Ray Stedman writes:

"I will never forget an incident that occurred a number of years ago here at the church. A young man came to my office carrying a thick Bible under his arm, which he had been reading. Looking at me very earnestly, he said to me, "Would you circumcise me?" After I had picked myself up from the floor, I explained to him why, one, he did not need physical circumcision, and, two, what circumcision meant. I pointed out that it was an eloquent symbol when it was properly understood." (Click full message Beware!)

MacDonald on "circumcision made without hands")

FAITH
AND OBEDIENCE

Related resource: Obedience of faith - Roman 1:5, 16:25 - What does it mean?

Click for more notes in preceding discussion on relationship of faith and obedience

Romans 1:5 (note)  through Whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name's sake (NASB)

Below is the same verse rendered in some other translations...

LET A MAN
EXAMINE HIMSELF

How does one partake in an "unworthy manner"? This is often interpreted as a reference to unconfessed sin, but in the context Paul had referred to divisions (1Co 11:18 "I hear that divisions exist among you"), factions (1Co 11:19 "there must also be factions among you" - factions is the word related to heresy and in context he say might be good) and behavioral problems ("in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk" 1Cor 11:21).

God's discipline for improper partaking of the New Covenant is pre-figured by the an event in 2Chr 30:18, 19, 20 in the context of the OT parallel feast, the Passover. In the background of reforms by Hezekiah's which resulted in a revival and re-institution of the Passover feast (which apparently had not been properly and regularly observed in some time, perhaps since the division of the kingdom 215 years earlier), Scripture records that ...

a multitude of the people, even many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than prescribed. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the good LORD pardon everyone who prepares his heart to seek God (just as in the new covenant meal, the internal attitude of the heart was to prevail over one's external activity), the LORD God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary." So the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people.

Covenant: As It Relates to Marriage
Covenant: Why Study It?
Covenant: Introduction

Covenant: Summary
Covenant: The Exchange of Robes
Covenant: The Exchange of Armor and Belts
Covenant: Solemn and Binding
Covenant: A Walk Into Death
Covenant: The Oneness of Covenant
Covenant: Oneness Notes
Covenant: Withholding Nothing from God
Covenant: Abrahamic versus Mosaic
Covenant: New Covenant in the Old Testament
Covenant: Why the New is Better
Covenant: Abrahamic vs Old vs New