I pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal all that we are going to do in this studies.
1 Cor 2: 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
If you want to know God to His full extent then I am inviting you to do this studies with me.
So today we carry on with the works of God looking at the
Major Covenants of God.
God initiated a number of covenants (agreements or contracts) which are disclosed in scripture. Four of these major covenants are explained below because of their great significance in understanding God's overall purpose and plan of redemption.
These four covenants are:
Abrahamic Covenant
Mosaic Covenant
Davidic Covenant
The new Covenant
NOTE: I know that some of the scripture references in this study are very long, but I want to include it in the study as lots of people don't go read the scripture if they must go read it in the Bible. But some are too long, please go read the recommended chapters as it will give you a better understanding. Please read through it, because only by reading the scripture you can fully understand the covenants.
The last post we looked at the ABRAHAMIC COVENANT
So next up is the:
Mosaic Covenant
The book of Deuteronomy restated the law and covenant for the new generation of Israelites going into the promised land. Especially important are Deuteronomy 28-30 which explain God’s promise to Isreal of blessing for obedience and cursing for disobedience. The Old Testament records the history of the outworking of this covenant in the life of Israel.
DATE 1450 BC - 33 AD
TEXTS
Exodus 19-24 Please go read all these chapters I am quoting just a few verses here:
Exodus 20: 2-21 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before[a] me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”
20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
Read Leviticus Chapters 1-27 and also Numbers Chapters 1-10. All this deals with all the laws and instructions about different offers God gave to the Israelites.
FEATURES
• The Mosaic Covenant was a mutual conditional covenant made between God and His chosen, redeemed people Israel after He had delivered them from Egyptian bondage.
• The purpose of the Mosaic Law was to
- reveal the holiness of God
- reveal the sinfulness of man
- provide God’s people with a standard by which to live a life that was pleasing to God
- constitute Israel as a nation
- provide a means for people to prove or demonstrate their faith in God by obeying the Law
- to show people how to properly relate to God and to other people
- to lead people ultimately to realize their need for Jesus Christ
- to provide a temporary means of dealing with sins committed in ignorance
- to foreshadow or preview the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross
- The Law was not given as a means of salvation
- Blessings were promised for obedience under the covenant. The sign of acceptance of the Mosaic covenant was keeping the Sabbath.
12 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 13 “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, 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 from among his people. 15 Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’”
APPLICATION
- The Mosaic Covenant contained certain revelatory aspects which were permanent and other regulatory aspects which were temporary for Israel only.
- The law as a means of God dealing with His chosen people ended at the cross.
2 Corinthians 3:1-18
Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? 2 You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit;[a] for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.
12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— 13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Hebrew 8: 1-6
Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.
3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. 4 For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; 5 who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”[a] 6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.
Galatians 3:3-25
23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
• The “principles” of the Mosaic Law are repeated in the New Testament and summed up by Jesus in
Matthew 22:34-40
34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’[d] 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’[e] 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
- As believers we obey the law (commands) of God out of love for Him and to demonstrate our faith in Him.
John 14:15 15 “If you love Me, keep[d] My commandments.
So we have a motivation which is different and the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to keep the Law.
1 John 2:3-6
3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
NEXT POST: DAVIDIC COVENANT
I did this Bible School course more than 20 years ago over a period of 2 years, and it is now my privilege to share it with you.
Thank you for reading and studying with me, I am really blessed by your participation!
There will only be an assignment at the end of all the Covenants, but your comments are always appreciated and we can learn from each other too.
Dr Dennis J. Mock: Bible training for church leadership, Bible Doctrine Survey, course no. 4
Scripture: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage - King James Version
