How long did would God’s covenant be in effect?
(Gen. 17:7; Deut. 4:13-5:21; 7:1-10; 9:5-6; Gal. 3:16) Blog Oct 10-16, 2021
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: After wandering for forty years in the wilderness God’s people returned to the borders of the promised land and defeated Sihon, King of Heshbon, and Og, King of Bashan. There on the Plains of Moab beside the Jordan River they were seduced into adultery with the Midianites. It was then that Moses began his farewell address with a brief review of Israel’s history as recorded in the book of Deuteronomy. God inspired Moses to give this review so that his people would realize his loving care in their past history and trust him to give them good laws for their future wellbeing.
God’s Everlasting Covenant
1. With whom did God first make a covenant? The first covenant recorded in the Bible was made between God, the Father, & God, the Son, guaranteeing eternal life to all who are in the Son (Zech. 6:13; Tit. 1:2).
2. When God created humanity what covenant did he make with us? In the beginning of this habitable earth God made a covenant with the head of our race, giving us every good thing he had created except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, whose fruit he forbad us to eat on pain of death (Gen, 2:16-17; Hosea 6:7).
3. After Adam ate the forbidden fruit on what basis could God forgive his sin and offer a saving Substitute? God offered Adam & Eve forgiveness & a saving Substitute on the basis of the covenant he made with the Son before the foundation of the world (Gen. 3:15, 21; Rev. 13:8).
4. How was God’s saving covenant with humanity renewed after the flood? God promised Noah to never again destroy the earth by a flood & he renewed his covenant with humanity by making everlasting promises to Abraham and his “seed” (Gen. 9:15-17; 15:5-18).
5. Who does the Apostle Paul tell us was the real “seed” of promise that would come from Abraham’s loins? Jesus is the promised “Seed” of Abraham who was also the One who walked between the divided animals with his Father the night God renewed the everlasting covenant with Abraham (Gen. 15:17-18; Gal. 3:16).
6. If the “everlasting covenant” envelops God’s promise to send his Son as the Saviour of the world, what other term does the Bible use for what God was promising? In the “everlasting covenant” God promised a saving Substitute for humanity. What that Substitute accomplished is called the “everlasting Gospel” (Gen. 17:7; 1 Cor. 15:1-8; Gal. 3:8; 1 John 4:14; Rev. 14:6).
7. Since the Gospel is the story of Jesus’ immaculate conception, obedient life, & atoning death, how do those things become our fulfillment of the Law? What Jesus accomplished is counted ours when we believe the Gospel. Thus, we render to God all that the Law requires & out of love for the gift of God’s dear Son we put forth every effort to live according to it (John 14:15; Rom. 3:24-26; 4:22-25; 10:4).
8. How does the New Covenant describe God’s dealings with his people? In the New Covenant God promises to forgive & blot out the sins of those who enter it by faith & to write his laws in their hearts & give them his Holy Spirit as a resident Guide & Teacher (Jer. 31:31-34).
9. How might we briefly express the relationship between the Law and the Gospel? The Law is the Gospel embodied & the Gospel is the Law unfolded (Rom. 2:13; 10:4).
God’s Ongoing Covenant
10. In Deuteronomy 4, when Moses reminded his people of God’s Covenant given at Sinai which commandment did he dwell on? After reminding God’s people of the covenant made at Sinai, Moses emphasized the need for them to not make any image or likeness to represent the invisible God (Deut. 4:13-19; 23-29).
11. In an effort to remind his people of God’s covenant what does Moses do in chapter 5 of Deuteronomy? Moses repeats the words of the covenant that God spoke with a mighty voice & wrote on two tables of stone – the Ten Commandments (Ex. 34:28; Deut. 4:13; Deut. 5:1-21).
12. When Moses repeats the Ten Commandments in the plains of Moab what new emphasis does he place on the fourth commandment? In rehearsing the Ten Commandments at the end of the wilderness wanderings Moses emphasizes God’s deliverance from bondage as the reason to keep the seventh-day Sabbath (Deut. 5:15).
13. How long did Moses tell the people that this covenant would be in effect? Moses said: “God … keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations (Deut. 7:9).
14. What is the result of keeping God’s covenant? Those who, “keep… the words of this covenant, and do them… [shall] prosper in all that ye do.” (Deut. 7:12-15; 29:9).
God’s Promised Land
15. What land did Jesus say that believers would inherit? Jesus said that the meek would inherit the earth (after the millennium) (Matt. 5:5; Rev. 21:1-3).
16. What land did Paul say that God promised to Abraham? Paul clearly states that God promised this entire world to Abraham (& us) as an inheritance (Rom. 4:13).
17. While Jesus and Paul make clear that the “promised land” is the whole earth what specific portion did God promise the nation Israel as a preliminary fulfillment of his promise to Abraham? God promised the children of Israel the land of Canaan as an inheritance (Gen. 13:14-15; Psa. 105:11).
18. On what basis did God give his people a land of their own? God did not give his people a land of their own because of Israel’s size or righteousness, but rather out of mercy towards them & because he had made promises to their fathers (Deut. 7:5-9; 9:5-6).
19. On what basis could God give his people a land that belonged to someone else? God gave the children of Israel a territory that other nations possessed because those nations had so corrupted themselves that their probationary time had ceased, there was no hope of reform, & if allowed to remain would only corrupt others (Gen. 15:16; Deut. 7:1-5, 9-10; 9:5).