Warning: This is reproduced
without
permission of the publisher. I did ask the publisher for permission and
they denied permission. Although I’ll
probably change my mind if the publisher’s lawyer notifies me, some information
seems to me to be worth practicing civil disobedience over. I hope they overlook this little crime of mine
with mercy.
I am not at all comfortable with the logic of Walvoord in the 1950s of making two new covenants, one for Israel
and one for the Church. But it seems
like by 1994 he was perhaps moving away from that view. And all in all this essay of his seems very
helpful information on a very important topic.
Introduction
General Considerations
The
concept of divine covenants in the Bible has long been a subject for
theological discussion and biblical exegesis. From the early centuries of the Christian
era and probably before, a number of God’s promises in the Bible are referred
to as biblical covenants. From Genesis to Revelation there is constant
reference to covenants, some of them by name, as in the ease of Noah, and
others in the form of general and sweeping promises, as in the case of Adam and
Eve. It is rather obvious that when God promises something, whether it is in
the form of a covenant or not, it becomes an important consideration in
understanding biblical revelation.
A
survey of the literature in the field reveals that this subject has been discussed
for centuries, and it would be a major undertaking even to summarize all the
writings on it from the time of the early church until now. Unfortunately, the
variety of subjects and premises involved has led to theological confusion
rather than theological clarity, and it is important to ask basic questions
about what the Bible actually teaches and what the principles that govern its
interpretation are.
Major Issues
In
a preliminary way certain major issues emerge in the study of biblical
covenants. One such issue is the distinction advocated by Augustine of Hippo
that biblical covenants are of two major kinds. First, there are biblical
covenants in which God pronounces promises in a formal way, which continue to
govern his relationship to humankind throughout the centuries. Second, there
are moral covenants or legal requirements that may or may not be directly
connected with the covenants but whose connections are often implied. The
distinction between covenants, which God promises in a sovereign way, and
moral covenants, which are often conditional on the part of humankind, is most
important to observe in the study of the subject.
Prominent
features of God’s covenants with humanity are his righteousness that governs
his moral requirements and his mission of grace for human beings and their sin.
These two lines of thought should not he confused, even though they are often
related.
When examining covenants relating to God’s moral requirements
for humankind, progressive revelation in the various dispensations of God’s
government must be observed. The concept of progressive revelation is essential to any
coherent view of the Bible since obligations in different periods are not the same.
This is illustrated particularly in the Mosaic period when God instituted more
than six hundred laws to govern Israel’s behavior.
In
connection with moral covenants, it should he observed that human thinking is
inherently legalistic. This is illustrated in heathen religions in which
worshipers attempt to please God and curry his favor. It is important to
separate this from the Christian concept of grace in which God alone is able to
forgive in spite of humanity’s lack of merit. Grace is a peculiarity of the
Scriptures.
In
connection with the gracious element of God’s covenant with humanity, two
major covenants are often distinguished. One is the covenant of redemption,
which embraces the work of God in Christ’s death on the cross, making possible
our forgiveness. The other is the covenant of grace, which is usually
considered as humanward, in contrast to redemption,
which is God-ward. In this covenant God promises grace to human beings who are
without merit and who in no way deserve God’s grace. In the consideration of the covenants,
attention should also be paid to the increased clarification on this subject in
the New Testament in contrast to the less clear revelation of the Old
Testament.
The
Biblical Covenants
In
the Old Testament the term berit is used of a
covenant. In the New Testament the word diatheke
is used. The first reference to a covenant in the Bible is in God’s
relationship to Noah (Gen.
6:18). Some have suggested, however, that other covenants preceded this
one, though they are not [explicitly] called covenants [in the Hebrew
Scriptures].
The Edenic Covenant
Before
Adam and Eve fell into sin, God made a proposition to them that some have regarded
as a covenant, as stated in Genesis
1:26—31 and 2:16—
17. God gave Adam authority over the creatures of the world, commanded him
to be fruitful, and gave him permission to eat from every green plant. The only restriction was that Adam and Eve
not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for if they did so they
would surely die (2:16—17). Basically, the covenant was conditional, requiring
obedience; but it also declared God’s purpose to elevate humanity to a place of
authority and prominence, ultimately fulfilled by Christ.
The Adamic Covenant
Adam
and Eve failed, however, to observe the restrictions of the Edenic
covenant. Innocence was lost and conscience was born. The result was also that
God would judge the world, as stated in his word to Adam (3:14-15)
and to Eve (3:16).
Adam was told that the ground was cursed and that he would find food with
difficulty (3:17—19).
14
So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this,
"Cursed are you above all the
livestock
and all the wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life.
15
And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel."
16
To the woman he said,
"I will greatly increase your pains
in childbearing;
with pain you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you."
17
To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree
about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'
"Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.
18
It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the
field.
19
By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return."
Having
failed under the Edenic covenant, human beings were
then faced with the provisions of the Adamic
covenant. That covenant was unconditional in the sense that Adam and Eve’s
descendants would be unable by human effort to escape the consequences of sin.
God judged not only Adam and Eve but also Satan (Gen. 3:14; Rom.
16:20; 2
Cor. 11:3, 14;
Rev.
12:9).
A
ray of light is provided, however, in the Adamic
covenant because God promised that a redeemer would come. As stated briefly in
Genesis 3:15, God promised to crush the head of Satan, though Satan would be
allowed to strike the heel of the woman’s seed, a reference to Christ. This is
the introduction of the great theme of grace and redemption found in the
Scriptures.
The
Adamic covenant continues to be fulfilled in human
history as individuals struggle to earn food, and as life ends in sorrow and
death (3:19). Unless tempered by the grace of God and changed by subsequent
promises, people continue to the present time to labor under the provisions of
the Adamic covenant.
The Noahic Covenant
In
dealing with Noah and the preflood period, God made
certain promises that are declared to be in the form of a covenant (Gen.
6:18; 9:9—16).
After stating his purpose to wipe out the human race because of its sin, except
for Noah and his family, God gave Noah instructions on how to build the ark in
anticipation of the time when the flood would cause everyone except those in
the ark to perish. God established this whole situation as a covenant:
“But I will establish my covenant with
you, and you will enter the ark—
you and your sons and your wife and your
sons’ wives with you” (6:18).
In
making a covenant with Noah, God illustrated a very important point. While
covenants between individuals are normally a matter of compromise between two
parties who are equals, in God’s covenants the parties to the covenant are
unequal, for God is sovereign and all-powerful and humankind is weak and
helpless. The covenant with Noah is entirely unconditional rather than a
conditional covenant, as in the Edenic situation. The
certainty of the fulfillment of the covenant with Noah rested entirely with God
and not with Noah. As this point is somewhat obscured in current discussion on
the covenants of Scripture, it is important to distinguish covenants that are
conditional from those that are unconditional. Conditional covenants depend on
the recipients meeting the conditions imposed by God. Unconditional covenants
declare that God’s purpose will be fulfilled regardless of an individual’s
response. The fact that the covenant is one-sided—from God to humankind—does
not mean that there is no response on the part of humankind. But the point is
that the response is anticipated and does not leave the fulfillment of the
covenant in doubt.
The
covenant with Noah is amplified in the period after the flood, as recorded in
Genesis 9:9—17. In this statement God declared in his covenant with Noah and
the entire creaturely world that he would never again destroy the world with a
flood. In keeping with this promise, he established the rainbow as “the sign
of the covenant between me and the earth” (9:13). The unconditional nature of
this covenant is clear, even though Noah failed God by getting drunk (9:20—23)
and his three sons became the progenitors of a sinful race. The promise is
nevertheless sure and unconditional, unrelated to human worthiness.
9 "I now
establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature
that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those
that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with
you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again
will there be a flood to destroy the earth."
12
And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and
you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:
13 I have set my rainbow in the
clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over
the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my
covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again
will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16
Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the
everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the
earth."
17
So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established
between me and all life on the earth."
The Abrahamic Covenant
1
The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your
father's household and go to the land I will show you.
2
"I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you."
4
So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was
seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5
He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the
possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and
they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
6
Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time
the Canaanites were in the land. 7
The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring [a] I will give this land." So he built an
altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
Covenants
preceding Abraham dealt with the entire human race, though because of the flood
their fulfillment is limited to Noah and his three sons. Beginning with the
covenant with Abraham, God selected certain individuals and groups to inherit
promises that were not for the entire human race. In the discussion of the
Abrahamic covenant, major disagreements emerge regarding the premises and
fulfillment of these covenants. This is caused partly by the different approach
of Calvinists and Arminians, but more particularly
by the premillennial versus the amillennial and postmillennial interpretations
of eschatology. All branches of theology find it necessary to consider the
Abrahamic covenant and how its provisions relate to their theological
presuppositions.
The
Abrahamic covenant involves promises along several lines. First, God promised
Abraham that he would become a great man and would be the father of a great
nation (Gen.
12:1—2). Second, God promised that Abraham’s progenitors would produce a
great nation, referring to Israel (v. 2). Later Abraham became the father of
more than the nation Israel, including some of the Arabs who descend from
Abraham. A third major provision, however, is that God would bless all peoples
of the earth through Abraham (v. 3). This is generally interpreted to refer to
the salvation and grace that come through Christ.
As
these promises have already been literally fulfilled, it does not allow much
freedom to interpret them other than in their literal sense. These promises that
God has made are certain of fulfillment regardless of human response. Important
in all these promises, however, is the fact that they- do not govern the whole
race, as some of them relate only to Israel, though the whole race is promised
to be blessed through Abraham. Even this general promise, however, is limited
to fulfillment to those who come to God in faith.
The
provision that God will bless those who bless Abraham and curse those who do
not (Gen. 12:3) introduces a conditional element that figures largely in
Israel’s history. Not only was Israel blessed or cursed in accord with her
obedience to God in the Old Testament, but this also extended to other nations
as well arid their relationship to Israel. As history has graphically
demonstrated, every nation that has persecuted Israel has paid a price for it
in subsequent history.
The
major area of theological conflict, however, is in the promise of God to
Abraham, “To your offspring I will give this land” (12:7). This promise is so
transparently a reference to the land to which God had directed Abraham after
he left Ur of Chaldees that it would seem almost
impossible to question its intent.
A
number of interpretive problems surface, however. Amillenarians and postmillenarians do not believe that Israel will ever
inherit the land. This contrasts with the premillennial interpretation, which
holds that this promise will be fulfilled in the millennial kingdom after the
second coming of Christ. Amillenarians offer several alternative solutions. The
most common view is that the promise is about heaven, not a literal land.
Postmillenarians also offer this view. This nonliteral
interpretation, however, has no scriptural support since every reference to the
land in Scripture refers literally to the land of Israel. A more modern
explanation is that its promise is literal but conditional on Israel’s
obedience.
The
problem is further amplified by the fact that even though the ultimate
fulfillment seems certain, any given generation of Israel could enjoy the land
only if obedient to God. In the Old Testament period as well as in the New,
Israel was not allowed possession of the land unless she deserved it. Accordingly,
while the Israelites went down to Egypt and left the land as God promised in Genesis
15:13, they were also promised blessing if they went back to the land, as
recorded in Exodus and later books of the Old Testament. In their return,
however, Moses stated specifically in Deuteronomy
28 that their possession of the land depended on their obedience to God. If
they were obedient, God would bless them physically and in other ways. If they
disobeyed, they would he driven out of the land and would he subject to
frightful persecutions. This has tragically been fulfilled in history in the
Babylonian and Assyrian captivities and in the worldwide dispersion that
occurred after the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
In
view of these difficulties, in what sense is the Abrahamic covenant
unconditional? The point here, which has often been misunderstood, is that
while the fulfillment of any particular generation of Israel depended on obedience
to God, the ultimate possession ft the land is promised unconditionally to
Israel even though she does not deserve it. Scripture prophesies that a godly
remnant of Israel will be the ultimate possessors of the land at the second
coming (Ezek.
20:33—38).
Premillenarians
hold that the Abrahamic covenant is unconditional in the sense that its
ultimate fulfillment is absolutely certain and is specifically predicted in
the Old Testament. It depends on God’s faithfulness and grace rather than on
the merit of the people of Israel.
Most
significant, Jeremiah in the midst of Israel’s apostasy predicted their return
from Babylon and Assyria and in addition promised their ultimate return to the
land subsequent to the second coming of Christ (23:5—8;
31:4—
11). Further, Ezekiel predicted the partition of the land to the twelve
tribes of Israel after the second coming (chaps. 47—48).
This
is based on divine grace rather than Israel’s worthiness. This is supported by
many promises of the glorious kingdom on earth, which will follow the coming
of the Messiah King that premillenarians relate to
his second coming. Obviously the Abrahamic covenant is a covenant of grace that
depends on God’s faithfulness and promise. Humankind’s enjoyment of it prior to
its ultimate fulfillment, however, is conditioned on the faith of any
particular generation. But the ultimate fulfillment is absolutely certain.
The
Mosaic Covenant
The
covenant with Moses occupies most of the Old Testament because, beginning in
the Book of Exodus and continuing throughout the rest of the Old Testament, the
Mosaic covenant was the dominant factor affecting Israel’s history.
This
covenant related only to the people of Israel, nor the entire human race. This
factor is often overlooked. Though the Mosaic covenant did reveal God’s moral
nature and his will concerning moral issues, the Mosaic covenant was not the
basis of judgment on the surrounding nations. To some extent the Mosaic
covenant was a partial outgrowth of the Abrahamic covenant because it
described the application of this earlier covenant during the entire period of
the Old Testament.
The
major difference between the Mosaic covenant and the Abrahamic covenant is that
the former was conditional and also was ad interim, that is, it was a covenant
for a limited period, beginning with Moses and ending with Christ. Basically it
was a sovereign covenant in which God declared his will for Israel. Though
Israel did indicate a preliminary willingness to obey it, they certainly
failed, as history records.
In
contrast to the other covenants, the Mosaic covenant, though it had provisions
for grace and forgiveness, nevertheless builds on the idea that obedience to
God is necessary for blessing. While this to some extent is true in every
dispensation, the Mosaic covenant was basically a works covenant rather than a
grace covenant. The works principle, however, was limited to the matter of
blessing in this life and was not related at all to the question of salvation
for eternity.
The
ultimate application of the Mosaic covenant is stated in Leviticus 19:2:
"Be holy because
I, the LORD your God, am holy.”
Basic
to the covenant idea, however, is the fact that this covenant was imposed by
God whether or not the people of Israel accepted it. It is therefore a
sovereign series of promises as to what God would do under varied circumstances
according to Israel’s response.
Israel’s
experiences under the Mosaic covenant were intended by God to be an
illustration of how God deals with the people he considers holy to himself.
Both her punishments and blessings are related to this basic principle. The
limitations of the Mosaic covenant also should be emphasized. The covenant did
not relate to eternal life and was not a basis for grace. Instead, compliance
meant that God would bless Israel, much as a father would bless a child who is
obedient.
The Davidic Covenant
Both
the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants had a certain group of people as their
objects, though part of the Abrahamic covenant had worldwide relevance. The
Davidic covenant, however, selected a particular family, that is, the
descendants of David. God’s covenant made certain promises to David’s
descendants that by their nature affect Israel, but nevertheless do not extend
to the entire human race. The basic statement of the covenant is found in 2
Samuel 7, with details also given in 1
Chronicles 17. Confirmation of the Davidic covenant is also found in Psalm
89. This psalm reiterates the fact that the Davidic covenant will be
fulfilled regardless of human response. As the promises of the Davidic covenant
go far beyond what David deserved, it is obviously a gracious covenant that in
its ultimate fulfillment is unconditional.
1
After the king was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from
all his enemies around him, 2
he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar,
while the ark of God remains in a tent." 3 Nathan replied to the king, "Whatever
you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you."
4 That night the word of
the LORD came to Nathan, saying: 5 "Go and tell my servant David,
'This is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build
me a house to dwell in? 6
I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of
Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my
dwelling. 7
Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their
rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, "Why have you not
built me a house of cedar? Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says:
I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my
people Israel. 9 I
have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies
from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the
greatest men of the earth. 10
And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that
they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people
will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11 and have done ever since the time I
appointed leaders [a] over my people Israel. I will also give you
rest from all your enemies. 'The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish
a house for you: 12 When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I
will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body,
and I will establish his kingdom. 13
He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the
throne of his kingdom forever. 14
I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish
him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. 15 But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it
away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me
[b] ; your throne will be established forever.'
"
17
Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.
18
Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: "Who am I, O
Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19 And as if this
were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the
future of the house of your servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with
man, O Sovereign LORD ? 20 "What more can David say to you?
For you know your servant, O Sovereign LORD. 21 For the sake of your word and
according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to
your servant. 22
"How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there
is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. 23 And who is like your people
Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for
himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome
wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you
redeemed from Egypt? [c] 24
You have established your people
Israel as your very own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God.
25
"And now, LORD God, keep
forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house.
Do as you promised, 26 so that your name will be great forever. Then men will
say, 'The LORD Almighty is God over Israel!' And the house of your servant
David will be established before you. 27 "O LORD Almighty, God of Israel,
you have revealed this to your servant, saying, 'I will build a house for you.'
So your servant has found courage to offer you this prayer. 28 O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your
words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.
29 Now be
pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for
you, O Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your
servant will be blessed
forever."
1 After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under a tent."
2 Nathan replied to
David, "Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with you."
3 That night the word
of God came to Nathan, saying: "Go and tell my servant David, 'This is
what the LORD says: You are not the one to build me a house to dwell in. 5 I have not dwelt in a house
from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from
one tent site to another, from one dwelling place to another. 6
Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their
leaders [a] whom I commanded to shepherd my people,
"Why have you not built me a house of cedar? Now then, tell
my servant David, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from
the pasture and from following the flock, to be ruler over my people Israel. 8 I have been with you wherever
you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will
make your name like the names of the greatest men of the earth. 9 And I will provide a place
for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their
own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as
they did at the beginning 10
and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I
will also subdue all your enemies. I declare to you that the LORD will build a
house for you: 11 When
your days are over and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your
offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his
kingdom. 12 He is the one who
will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13
I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away
from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. 14
I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.'
"
15
Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.
16
Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: "Who am I, O
LORD God, and what is my family, that you have brought me
this far? 17 And as
if this were not enough in your sight, O God, you have spoken about the future
of the house of your servant. You have looked on me as though I were the most
exalted of men, O LORD God. 18 "What more can David say to you
for honoring your servant? For you know your servant, 19 O LORD. For the sake of your servant
and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all
these great promises. 20
"There is no one like you, O LORD, and there is no God but you, as we have
heard with our own ears. 21
And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth whose God went out
to redeem a people for himself, and to make a name for yourself, and to perform
great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before your people, whom
you redeemed from Egypt? 22
You made your people
Israel your very own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God. 23 "And now, LORD, let the promise you
have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as
you promised, 24
so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. Then
men will say, 'The LORD Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel's God!' And
the house of your servant David will be established before you. 25 "You, my God, have revealed to your
servant that you will build a house for him. So your servant has found courage
to pray to you. 26 O
LORD, you are God! You have promised these good things to your servant. 27 Now you
have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that
it may continue forever
in your sight; for you, O LORD, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever."
1
I will sing of the LORD's great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your
faithfulness known through all generations.
2
I will declare that your
love stands firm forever,
that you established your faithfulness in
heaven itself.
3
You said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
4
'I will establish your
line forever
and make your throne firm through all
generations.' "
Selah
. . .
20
I have found David
my servant;
with my sacred oil I have anointed him.
21
My hand will sustain him;
surely my arm will strengthen him.
22
No enemy will subject him to tribute;
no wicked man will oppress him.
23
I will crush his foes before him
and strike down his adversaries.
24
My faithful love will be with him,
and through my name his horn [d] will be exalted.
25
I will set his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.
26
He will call out to me, 'You are my Father,
my God, the Rock my Savior.'
27
I will also appoint him my
firstborn,
the most exalted of the kings of the
earth.
28
I will maintain my love to him forever,
and my covenant with him will never fail.
29
I will establish his line
forever,
his throne as long as the heavens endure.
30
"If his sons forsake my law
and do not follow my statutes,
31
if they violate my decrees
and fail to keep my commands,
32
I will punish their sin
with the rod,
their iniquity with flogging;
33 but I will not take my love
from him,
nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
34
I will not violate my
covenant
or alter what my lips have uttered.
35
Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
and I will not lie to David-
36
that his line will
continue forever
and his throne endure before me like the
sun;
37
it will be established forever
like the moon,
the faithful witness in the sky."
Selah
The
provisions of the Davidic covenant were, first, that God would provide through
David and his physical posterity a person who would sit on the throne of the
kingdom forever (2
Sam. 7:13). God promised that under no circumstances would this covenant
ever be rescinded (vv. 15—16). Even David recognized that this was an unusual
covenant because it was everlasting, based entirely on God’s promises and not
on human worthiness.
All
conservative interpreters of the Bible recognize that the promise has its
ultimate fulfillment in Christ. Again the amillennial and premillennial
differences in explaining eschatology come to the fore, however. The
amillennial position is that Christ is flow on the throne of David in heaven,
equating the heavenly throne with the earthly throne of David, whereas the
traditional premillennial view is that the Davidic throne will be occupied at
the second coming of Christ when Christ assumes his rule in Jerusalem.
As
in the case of David, Christ was appointed heir to the throne of David long
before he will occupy it. The throne should not be considered a physical chair
but a sphere of rule that cannot in the nature of the case be fulfilled until
God has restored Israel as a nation and established Christ as king on the
earth. Again the major issue is whether the details of a covenant are to be
understood in their normal and literal sense or whether they are to be spiritualized,
given another meaning, or made conditional and therefore never fulfilled.
Amillennial
interpreters affirm that the promises in the Davidic covenant cannot he taken
literally or, if taken literally, are conditional. Neither of these assertions,
however, is supported by the facts. Premillenarians, however point to the many
passages that not only reiterate that the Davidic throne will be on earth in
Jerusalem and will continue forever, but also to the fact that this is related
to the second coming of Christ at which time he will establish his millennial
reign on earth, a situation that is not true at the present time. This is
supported in such passages as Psalm 72, Jeremiah 23:5— 8, and the many passages
that speak of Israel’s ultimate regathering, as in
Ezekiel 39:25—29 and Jeremiah 30:5—9, and the New Testament confirmation of a
millennial kingdom in Revelation 20. A literal fulfillment of the Davidic
covenant necessarily presumes a second coming of Christ, the restoration of
Israel, and the establishment of God’s authoritative rule on earth.
The New Covenant
The
issues raised in the eschatological interpretation in the preceding covenants
come to a head in the prediction of a new covenant in both the Old and New
Testaments. Here there is diversity of opinion among Amillenarians and
Premillenarians.
The Contrast Between the Old and
New Testaments
One
of the most obvious differences in Scripture is the division of the Bible into
the Old and New Testaments, or Old and New Covenants. This division recognizes
that the covenants of the Old Testament will be climaxed by a new covenant,
which will have its ultimate fulfillment in the New Testament. En contrast to the Mosaic covenant, which had a legalistic
emphasis and was temporary, the new covenant is unconditional and is clearly a
result of the grace of God that has its full manifestation in Christ in history
and in prophecy.
The New Covenant Contrasted to Previous Biblical Covenants
The
new covenant is far-reaching in its divine revelation of God’s purpose to
bestow his grace on humanity. The Mosaic covenant dominated the Old Testament
and was a temporary covenant to he superseded by the new covenant. The Mosaic
covenant was legalistic in contrast to the essential feature of the new
covenant, which is grace.
The
new covenant is God’s affirmation of his intention to extend grace and blessing
to those who do not deserve it. The new covenant is basically a unilateral
agreement in which God pronounced what he will do even though there is failure
and lack of merit on the part of the human race. A predominant feature of the
Old Testament was God’s revelation of his faithfulness to his promises, whether
of judgment or of mercy. The new covenant is a gracious declaration of God’s
mercy to those who put their trust in him but are otherwise unworthy of
blessing.
The
Old Testament revealed that it was possible for individuals to gain favor with
God (but not salvation) by obedience to the law. By contrast, the new covenant
offers grace and blessing apart from legal justification in human acts. This is
stated clearly in passages such as Romans
3:21—24. Even though salvation was impossible by the keeping of the law,
Paul revealed the great principle of justification by faith. Paul wrote,
21But
now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been
made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes
through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Righteousness
comes not from works but through faith in Christ, and believers are justified,
declared righteous, without cost because of the grace of God that has come
through the redemption provided by Christ Jesus. This redemption was
accomplished when Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world.
This
is further stated in Romans 3:25—26:
25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,[a] through faith in his blood. He did this to
demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins
committed beforehand unpunished— 26he
did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the
one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Old
Testament believers were forgiven and saved on credit, as it were, and this
debt had to he paid by Jesus Christ when he died as the Redeemer. So in the
death of Christ God demonstrated his justice in that he recognizes that Christ
is the Sin-bearer and the Sin Offering. Therefore, God is just in declaring a
believer righteous because he sees the individual in the person and work of his
Son.
This
same truth of redemption through Christ is stated in other passages such as Ephesians
2:4—7:
4But because of his
great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made
us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace
you have been saved. 6And
God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in
Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the
coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in
his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
This
grace of God is manifested in the present age. Also in eternity believers in
Christ who have been justified by the grace of God will be illustrations of
what the grace of God can accomplish.
It
is obvious that this is not through works but through faith in Christ, as
stated in Ephesians
2:8—10:
8For it is by grace you
have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of
God— 9not by
works, so that no one can boast. 10For
we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do.
The
gospel message, of course, based on the new covenant, is the message that
people in spite of their best efforts are not acceptable to God apart from the
righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is not
something earned, deserved, or attained; but is a gift of God to those who
place their trust in Christ. Believers in Christ are “God’s workmanship,” heirs
of all the blessings that belong to a child of God.
The New Covenant as Revealed in the Old Testament
One
of the principal Old Testament passages on the new covenant is Jeremiah
31:31—37:
31 "The time is
coming," declares the LORD,
"when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
32 It will not be like
the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to [a] them, [b] "
declares the LORD.
33 "This is the
covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time," declares the LORD.
"I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
34 No longer will a man
teach his neighbor,
or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the
LORD,'
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the
greatest,"
declares the LORD.
"For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no
more."
35 This is what the
LORD says,
he who appoints the sun
to shine by day,
who decrees the moon and stars
to shine by night,
who stirs up the sea
so that its waves roar—
the LORD Almighty is his name:
36 "Only if these
decrees vanish from my sight,"
declares the LORD,
"will the descendants of Israel ever
cease
to be a nation before me."
37 This is what the
LORD says:
"Only if the heavens above can be
measured
and the foundations of the earth below be searched out
will I reject all the descendants of
Israel
because of all they have done,"
declares the LORD.
Certain
salient features stand out in this covenant:
1.
The
new covenant will be made with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
2.
The
new covenant will be in contrast to the covenant made with Moses.
3.
The
new covenant will not he written on tables of stone
but in the hearts of believers.
4.
It
will have its fulfillment as far as Israel is concerned at a time when everyone
from the least to the greatest will know the Lord.
5.
The
major provision is that God will forgive Israel’s wickedness and not remember
their sins.
6.
The
covenant is irrevocable and does not depend on human response.
7.
As
a result, Israel will be a nation forever.
8.
The
absolute certainty of the new covenant is compared to the impossibility of
measuring the heavens or the foundations of the earth.
Though
there have been many attempts to apply this covenant in a general way to those
other than Israel, it is obvious that the particulars of the covenant require
a special situation that has never occurred. Accordingly, the covenant has not
yet been completely fulfilled.
Further
revelation of the new covenant is given in Isaiah 61:8—9,
which states essentially that Israel will be recognized as a people blessed by
God.
8 "For I, the LORD, love justice;
I hate robbery and iniquity.
In my faithfulness I will reward them
and make an everlasting covenant with
them.
9 Their descendants
will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the LORD has
blessed."
Jeremiah
again took up this theme in Jeremiah
32:27—41.
27 "I am the LORD,
the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? 28
Therefore, this is what the LORD says: I am about to hand this city over to the
Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will capture it. 29 The Babylonians who are
attacking this city will come in and set it on fire; they will burn it down,
along with the houses where the people provoked me to anger by burning incense
on the roofs to Baal and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods.
30
"The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight
from their youth; indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but provoke me
with what their hands have made, declares the LORD. 31
From the day it was built until now, this city has so aroused my anger and
wrath that I must remove it from my sight. 32
The people of Israel and Judah have provoked me by all the evil they have
done—they, their kings and officials, their priests and prophets, the men of
Judah and the people of Jerusalem. 33
They turned their backs to me and not their faces; though I taught them again
and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline. 34
They set up their abominable idols in the house that bears my Name and defiled
it. 35 They built high
places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to
sacrifice their sons and daughters [a] to Molech, though
I never commanded, nor did it enter my mind, that they should do such a
detestable thing and so make Judah sin.
36
"You are saying about this city, 'By the sword, famine and plague it will
be handed over to the king of Babylon'; but this is what the LORD, the God of
Israel, says: 37 I will surely gather
them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great
wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. 38 They will be my people, and
I will be their God. 39
I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear
me for their own good and the good of their children after them. 40 I will make an everlasting
covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to
them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away
from me. 41 I will rejoice in
doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart
and soul.
God
declared that Israel will “be my people, and I will be their God. I will give
them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for
their own good and the good of their children after them” (vv. 38—39). As in
Jeremiah 31, this passage again asserts that this covenant is everlasting.
Ezekiel
gave an extended discourse on the new covenant. In addition to repeating some
of the facts given to Jeremiah, other promises were made. God declared, “I will
take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them
from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one
nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel” (Ezek.
37:1—22). This requires fulfillment in an earthly millennium.
God
promised, according to Ezekiel, that Israel will be one nation with one king
and will never again be divided as they were in the kingdoms of Israel and
Judah (Ezek. 37:22). Further, God will keep them from sinning against him by
worshiping idols and backsliding (v. 23). A new factor is introduced in verse
24: "My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one
shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees.” This is
reinforced in verse 25: “They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob,
the land where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s
children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince
forever.”
The
fulfillment of God’s promise requires the resurrection of David at Christ’s second
coming. As in other references to the new covenant, Ezekiel declared that this
covenant will be everlasting. In addition, God promised to put his sanctuary
among them (v. 26) and to dwell with them (v. 27). As in the other passages,
all nations will know that Israel is considered holy before God. These passages
indicate that the promises are directed to Israel, not to Gentiles, and
therefore cannot be made universal in their application.
Because
Amillenarians generally deny a future for Israel, which these passages
require, it is necessary for them to accommodate this passage in prophecy
either by making the church the inheritor of Israel’s promises, which the Bible
never does, or to make these promises conditional on Israel’s obedience, which
is also foreign to these passages. All these promises were sovereignly
given and will be fulfilled in God’s time. Premillenarians point out that these
passages imply and demand a kingdom after the second coming in which these promises will have their literal fulfillment.
New Testament References to the New Covenant
In
the New Testament the new covenant takes on extended meaning. The best known
reference to this, of course, is in the record of Lord’s Supper, which
celebrates the death of Christ. As stated in Luke 22:20, Christ said,
“This cup is the new covenant in my
blood, which is poured out for you.”
Here
the new covenant is clearly applicable to the church, a fact that is supported
by other references, such as Matthew 26:28 and Mark 14:24. In 1 Corinthians
11:25 Paul wrote that in reference to the cup at the Lord’s Supper, Christ
said,
“This cup is the new covenant in my
blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
In
these references to the new covenant in relation to the church, however, there
is no detail that connects it with the new covenant with Israel, and this has
created a diversity of opinions even among Premillenarians.
Premillennial Interpretations of the New Covenant
In
the theology of the church, whether premillennial or otherwise, there has been
considerable confusion as to how the new covenant relates to different classes
of believers. Amillenarians tend to make the church the fulfiller of God’s
promises to Israel. This is not universally held by Amillenarians, however,
because while the church may inherit sonic blessings similar to Israel’s, they
do not inherit Israel’s curses, and one cannot be separated from the other.
Among
Premillenarians there is also diversity in understanding of the new covenant as
it relates to Israel. Some insist that the new covenant is exclusively for
Israel, but that the church inherits the blessings of the blood of the new
covenant. A popular view is that while the new covenant is preeminently for
Israel as revealed in the Old Testament, the church receives an oblique
application of it. The problem here is that the Bible seldom blurs the promises
to Israel and the church even though some of these promises may he similar.
Lewis Sperry Chafer held that there were two new covenants—one for Israel and
one for the church.
This
diversity of explanation, however, is resolved, in this author’s view, by
making a distinction between the covenant of redemption and the covenant of
grace. The covenant of redemption involves the promise that Christ would redeem
many by his death on the cross, and the covenant of grace provides that Cod
will extend grace on the basis of this sacrifice to those who trust in Christ
as their Savior. This concept of salvation through redemption in Christ is probably
the key to understanding this whole doctrine.
If
it is understood that Christ by his death on the cross provided grace, then it
can be understood that this grace of God is extended to various classes and
individuals. In fact, everyone who is saved from Adam on was saved by the grace
of God, not by human works, and the covenant of grace to that extent provides
the salvation of all who trust in the Lord.
The
prominence of the new covenant in the prophecies concerning Israel in the Old
Testament arises from the obvious fact that Cod has a special plan and purpose
for Israel that has its culmination, according to Premillenarians, in the
future millennial kingdom following the second coming. Accordingly the Old
Testament promises, detailed as they are, will be literally fulfilled in that
period. In the New Testament, in which the new covenant is related to the
church, it is the grace of God as it applies to the church. While none of the
major features of the covenant for Israel are repeated, nevertheless the church
has a new covenant in contrast to her former estate in Adam, just as Israel has
a new covenant in contrast to her former position under the Mosaic covenant.
Other References to the New Covenant in the New Testament
One
of the principal passages that has often been misinterpreted is Hebrews
8:8—12. Here in the discussion with Hebrew Christians, the promise found
in Jeremiah 31 is repeated in detail. Amillenarians seize on this passage as
proof that the covenant with Israel in Jeremiah 31 applies to the church. A
careful reading of the passage, however, does not reveal support for this.
The
argument of Hebrews 8 is that Christ is superior to Moses, and that the
promises given to the church are superior to the promises given to Israel. This
is stated in Hebrews 8:6:
“But the ministry Jesus has received is
as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to
the old one, and it is founded on better promises.”
In
the verses that follow, the argument is made that if the Mosaic covenant had
been sufficient, God would not have promised a new covenant. This is why
Jeremiah 31 is quoted. The point is that even the Old Testament anticipated the
temporary character of the Mosaic covenant. So Jews who clung to the Mosaic
covenant were informed that even the Old Testament anticipated the Mosaic
covenant would pass away and the new covenant for Israel would he installed.
This was proof that the Mosaic covenant was only temporary and insufficient.
No
statement is made in Hebrews 8 to the effect that the new covenant of Jeremiah
is applied to the church. The only application is made in Hebrews 8: 13: “By
calling this covenant ‘new,’ he has made the first one obsolete; and what is
obsolete and aging will soon disappear.” In other words, the promise of the new
covenant makes clear that the Mosaic covenant in time would become obsolete and
would he done away with. So here as well as in other references in Hebrews to
the new covenant (10:16, 29; 12:24; 13:20), there is no evidence that the
church is ever regarded as fulfilling the many details of the new covenant in
the Old Testament relating to Israel.
The Major Features of the New Covenant in Relation to
Salvation
As
previously stated, the major point of the new covenant as revealed in the New
Testament is that salvation is not by works but by grace. This is true for the
church. It is also true for Israel. It is true for every child of God, regardless
of the dispensation.
Not
only is salvation not by works, but it is entirely by grace as a gift of God.
Though works are recognizable and will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ
for Christians, works are never made the basis for salvation in any
dispensation, for salvation has always been by the grace of God.
Also
the new covenant makes clear that human effort is not the point in securing
salvation, but rather the act of one’s will in trusting God’s promises of
salvation results in the individual becoming a child of God. As stated in John
1:12—13, a child of God becomes such not by any work of merit or effort on his
or her part, but by the grace of God. This also leads to the fact that once a
person is saved he or she is saved forever as it is a work of God, a work of
spiritual resurrection, a work of new birth, a work of new creation.
Few
doctrines of Scripture are more important or more central to understanding the
Scriptures than the new covenant. Properly understood, the doctrine of grace extends
to the church, to Israel, and to every child of God in every dispensation. Its
full revelation, however, was made in the New Testament, and its further
revelation will be in eternity as God points out the wonders of his grace.