OLD TESTAMENT COVENANT/NEW TESTAMENT COVENANT
God made a COVENANT with Abraham and his Descendants. [Gen 17:1-8]
When Abraham was 99 years old the LORD appeared to Abraham, and said unto him, "I am the Almighty God...I will make my COVENANT between ME and Thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. My COVENANT is with thee, and thou shall be a Father of many nations. I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and Kings shall come out of thee. I will establish my COVENANT between Me and Thee and Thy Seed after thee in their generations for an Everlasting COVENANT, to be a God unto thee and to thy Seed after thee. I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee, the Land wherein thou art a stranger, ALL the land of Canaan, for an Everlasting possession; and I will be their God." In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had lived in rather intimate communion with God. But, with his sin and banishment, man lost his first knowledge of God; and, groping in darkness for a solution of the mysteries of existence, he came to worship the powers of Nature, which seemed to be the sources of life. Ur was in Babylonia; and Babylonians had many gods and goddesses. They were worshipers of fire, the sun, moon, stars, and devious forces of nature. Now, 2000 years after the creation and Fall of Man, 400 years after the Flood, and in a world lapsed into Idolatry and Wickedness. Abraham, a righteous man, a believer of God, was not an idolater. God called Abraham to become the FOUNDER of a Great nation, which brings blessings to many Gentile Nations to come. God made a promise that Abraham's descendants:
1. Should Inherit the land of Canaan (Israel).
2. They should become a Great Nation.
3. Through them ALL NATIONS SHOULD BE BLESSED
The family records of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob had two wives and two concubines. From these four women, 12 sons were born to be the beginning of the 12 Tribes, which became the Messiah Nation, chosen of God to bring the Savior into the world. Joseph had the "Coat of many colors" given by Jacob was a badge of favoritism, possibly indicating Jacob's intention to make him heir to the Birthright. Joseph had a dream of his own ascendancy, which aggravated the situation. At 17 his brothers sold Joseph into Egypt. Joseph lived in Potiphar's house as a servant, but he was sent to prison for a false accusation of raping his master's wife. He went to prison but God delivered him out of jail and brought him to the King's palace. At 30 Joseph became the Ruler and an adviser to the king of Egypt. Jacob's family migrated to Egypt because there was a Great famine in the land where they lived (Exodus 12: 40-41). God had told Abraham that his descendants would be in this strange land for 430 years. After the death of Joseph, a change of dynasty made them a race of slaves. At the time of Exodus there were 600,000 men above 20, besides women and children (Number 1:46). This would total about 3,000,000. God sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh with the message "Let my people go!" Except for the TEN plagues of Frogs, Lice, Flies, Pestilence, Boils, Hails, Locusts, Darkness, Death of Egypt's First born, Israel would have never have been delivered, and there would be No Hebrew nation.
The route to Canaan. The Pillar of Cloud by Day and Pillar of Fire by Night. As they left Egypt, now to journey through hostile lands, God took them under His Own Care, with this visible sign of His GUIDANCE and PROTECTION. He never forsook them, till they reached the Promised Land 40 years later. (Numbers 9:15,23; 10:11).
God made a COVENANT with the Children of Jacob (Israel) on Mt, Sinai. (Deut. 19:1-8) Moses went up to the Mt. Sinai and God said to the children of Israel, "Ye have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, If ye will OBEY my VOICE indeed, and Keep my COVENANT, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people, a Kingdom of Priests, and a Holy Nation. These are the words which thou shall speak unto the children of Israel." Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and told them all these words, which the Lord commanded them. All the People answered together, and said, "All the Lord has spoken We WILL DO." (Exodus 20-24) The Old Testament COVENANT: The Ten Commandments were the basis of Hebrews Law. 1. Thou shall have NO other gods beside me.
2. Thou shall NOT worship any Graven Image.
3. Thou shall NOT take the Name of the Lord thy God in vein.
4. Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.These Four commandments above have to do with their attitude toward God.
5. Honor thy Father and thy Mother.
6. Thou shall NOT kill.
7. Thou shall NOT Commit Adultery.
8. Thou shall NOT steal.
9. Thou shall NOT bear False Witness.
10. Thou shall NOT Covet anything that is thy neighbor's. These last six with their attitude toward their fellowmen.
After the Ten Commandments, this was the first installment of the Laws for the Hebrew Nation. They were written in a book. Then the Covenant to OBEY and sealed with Blood.
Laws about: Slavery. Death for murder. Kidnapping. Cursing Parents. "Eye for an Eye". Compensation. Stealing. Damage to crops. Seduction. Sorcery. Cohabitation with animals. Idolatry. Kindness to widows and Orphans. Lending. Pledges. Curse Not a Ruler. First fruits and First-born. False Reports. Justice. Consideration for animals. Brides. Strangers. Sabbath. Passover.. The book contains the System of Laws, administered by the Levitical Priesthood, under which the Hebrew nation lived. Levites, one tribe out of the 12, was set apart for the work of God. One FAMILY of Levites, Aaron and Sons, were set apart to be Priests. Aaron and his First-born Son, in succession, were High Priests. The rest of the Levites were to be assistants to the priests. Their duties were the care of the Tabernacle, and later, the care of the Temple, and to be Teachers, Scribes, Musicians, Officers, and Judges (I Chron. 23).The sacrificial system was a place of God at the very center and heart of the Jewish nation life. The Unceasing sacrifice of animals, and the never ending glow of altar fires, beyond doubt, were designed of God, to BURN into the Consciousness of men a sense of their deep SINFULNESS, and to be an age long picture of the Coming Sacrifice of Christ, toward whom they Pointed and in Whom they were FULLFILLED. The Levitical Priesthood was divinely ordained as mediator between God and the Hebrew nation in the Ministry of Animal Sacrifices. Those. Animal Sacrifices are NO Longer Necessary. Christ Himself is the Great High Priest for man: the ONLY mediator between God and Man (Hebrews 8-10).
(Deut. 28:1-14) BLESSINGS: shall Come when the Children of Israel Obey the voice of God and Observe ALL his LAWS. The Lord shall establish thee a Holy people unto Himself and ALL people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the Name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee. Increase of the fruit of thy ground, the fruit of thy cattle, plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body. The Lord opened unto the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in due season, and to bless all the work of thine hand. And thou shall NOT go aside from any of the words, which I command thee this DAY, to go after others gods to serve them CURSINGS: If the children of Israel will NOT hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do ALL his commandments, all these CURSES shall come upon thee. The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies; the Lord will smite thee with hemorrhoids, and with the scab, and with itch, whereof thou cannot be healed. The Lord shall smite thee with madness and blindness, and astonishment of heart and other diseases upon them.The Old Testament LAWS and ALL of the animals Sacrificial were Temporary to be kept only 1400 years. (Galatians 4:4-5) When the Fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman (Mary), made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that ye might receive adoption of sons. *** (Gal. 2: 16) Knowing that the works of the law does not justify a man, but by the faith of Jesus Christ...for by the works of the law shall NO flesh be justified.(Gal. 3:19-25) What is the purpose of the LAW? It was added because of transgressions, till the SEED (Christ) should come to whom the promise was MADE; for if there had been a law given which could have given LIFE, verily righteousness Should have been by the LAW. But the Scripture had concluded ALL under Sin, that the promise by FAITH of Jesus Christ might be given to them that BELIEVE. But before faith came, we (Jews) were kept under the law, wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto CHRIST, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith comes, we are no longer under the schoolmaster (supervision of the law). Christ has redeemed us from the Curse of the law, being made a curse for us. The law is NOT of faith. The law in the sight of God justifies NO man. They are which of faith; the same are the children of Abraham. If righteousness comes by the law, then Christ's death is in vain. The New Covenant called the "New Testament". A Testament is a Will, a bequeathment to heirs, effective ONLY after the Death of the maker. The New Covenant is the Will, which Christ made for His Heirs, which could NOT become effective till, by His Death, He had Atoned for their sins. This is where we get the Names of the Two Divisions of the Bible: Old Testament and New Testament. The New Testament is the story of the Covenant of Christ. The abundant use of Blood in the rites of the Old Covenant Prefigured the urgent necessity of some Great Sacrifice for Human Sin (Hebrews 9: 19-22).Christ brought to mankind a New Covenant. The First Covenant, centered on the Tabernacle Services, and Ten Commandments, had served its purpose. 1. It's Laws were written on tables of stone (9:4). 2. Christ's Laws would be written on our hearts and are Everlasting (13:20). 1. The First Covenant was sealed with the blood of Animals. 2. Christ's Covenant was sealed with His Own Blood (10:29). It was a better Covenant, with better Promises, better Hope, better Possession in heaven Not Canaan, better resurrection, based on the Immutability of God's Word (6:18). 1. The First Covenant was temporal. 2. Christ's Covenant would be EVERLASTING. (13:20). Throughout the Old Testament, God instructed the Jewish nation to follow laws that would eventually prepare them to understand His spiritual laws, revealed in Christ. (Hebrews 7:11-12) The Levitical priesthood and the system of sacrifices were TEMPORARY and IMPERFECT, because those sacrifices were insufficient to take away sin (10:4). It was carnal (16), that is they were priests solely because they were of a certain Family, without regard to spiritual qualifications. (Hebrews 7:1-10) Christ a Priest after the Order of Melchizedek. That is, Jesus was NOT a Levitical Priest, but His priesthood rather was similar to that of Melchizedek, a Personage of Dim Past, ante-dating the Levitical priesthood by some 600 years: a Priest far Greater than Leviticals Priests, Greater even than Abraham: to whom Abraham, and the as yet unborn Levitical priests, in the loins of Abraham, paid tithes to Melchizedek. Melchizedek was King of Salem, and Priest of the Most High. A king and a Priest. Previous to the time of Moses Sacrifices were offered by the Heads of Families. Thus the Priest of each family was the Father, or Grandfather or Great Grandfather, Oldest living man in the paternal line. As the Family grew to a Tribe, the Head came to be King of the Tribe, as well as Priest; and thus he was a King-Priest, or Priest-King. In the day of Moses, when God's chosen people had grown to be a Nation, the nation was Organized, a place set apart for sacrifice, a ritual prescribed, and a Special Hereditary Order of Men as created to act as Priests, of the Family of Levi. Later another Family was set apart to supply the Kings, the Family of David. A king rules the People. A Priest, as mediator between God and Man, offered Sacrifices. One Family supplied the Kings, another, the Priests.
But Christ was BOTH, combining office of King and Priest, like Mechizedek. Christ and the Tabernacle: The Tabernacle was a Sanctuary of This world: the True Tabernacle, not made with hands, is heaven (Heb. 9:1,11,24). The High Priest entered Once a Year; Christ entered Once for ALL. (7,12) The High Priest obtained Annual Redemption; Christ obtained Eternal Redemption (10: 3; 9: 12). The High Priest offered the blood of animals; Christ offered His own Blood. The High Priest's sacrifices cleanse the Flesh; Christ's sacrifice cleanses the Conscience. (9:13,14)[Matthew 5:17] Jesus said, "Think NOT that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am NOT come to destroy, but to FULLFILL." [Hebrews 10: 6-11, 4] In burnt offerings and sacrifices for Sin thou hast NO pleasure. Then said, "Lo, I (Christ) come to do thy will, O God. He taketh AWAY the First (Covenant), that he may established the Second. By which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ Once for all. The Priest standeth daily ministering and offering the same sacrifices, which CAN NEVER take away sins. But Christ, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ALL time, sat at the right hand of God. Therefore God had said, the Lord, "I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them and their sins and Lawless acts will I remember NO MORE. Now where remission of these is, NO MORE offering for sin."[Hebrews 9:8,24] The Holy Ghost signifying, that the way into the HOLIEST of all had NOT YET been opened, as long as the First Tabernacle was yet standing. For Christ is NOT entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures (Copy) of the true one, He entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. [Colossians 2: 16-17] Let NO man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or the Sabbath days: Which are the shadow of things to come, but the REALITY is FOUND IN CHRIST. Christ offered Himself Once for ALL. Once for All He entered the Holy Place. Once for ALL put away sin at the end of ages. Christians sanctified Once for All by the Offering of Christ (Heb. 10:10). NO need for further animals Sacrifice. Christ's Death is entirely sufficient to take care of ALL previous sins, and sins in our weakness we may daily commit. God can now and will Forgive, those who place their trust in Christ. Let us therefore hold to Christ is our ONLY hope and our Savior.