CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST
August 2, 2009
25424 Aldine-Westfield, Spring, TX. 77373
www.blakehart.com/cypresswoodbulletin.htm
www.cypresswoodchurchofchrist.cm
BLESSINGS AND PRAYERS:
God’s will for our congregation Various friends, relatives and co-workers
Our nation, leaders and military The persecuted church
Happy Birthday to Kerrie Bekker (19th), Eddie Berry (21st) and Patsy Friday (29th).
COVENANTS OF GOD (8)
“So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left” (Deuteronomy 5:32).
One of the criticisms against the Law of Moses is that it could not have been “written” when Moses was alive somewhere between 1200-1400 B.C. Then the Code of Hammurabi was found that predates Moses by several hundred years. That code had some similar ideas and many differences. Abraham used the cultural bargaining of the day when he bought a cave in which to bury Sarah. Not surprising then is that covenants of the ancient world had some similarities.
Covenants were known in the ancient world. There were a number of types of covenants that would be familiar to the nations around Israel. One type of covenant was the Suzerain/Vassal Treaty. Applying six aspects of this covenant to the covenant with Israel can give us a view of what God has in mind (1).
The first aspect of the covenant is the preamble where the covenant maker identifies himself. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” (Deuteronomy 5:6).
The second feature is the historical prologue. This is where the covenant maker sites his credentials. Throughout Deuteronomy God is tell them who He is as He speaks. Another text would be Exodus 34:6-7.
Third, stipulations would be imposed by the covenant maker. The Ten Commandments would be one aspect of this (Deuteronomy 5:6-21). How to live a holy life in the presence of God is another aspect of this (see Leviticus).
Fourth, there would be the public reading of or the copying of the covenant. Deuteronomy is Moses repeating the covenant through a series of speeches as Israel prepares to cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land.
Fifth is the divine invocation. In the pagan nations, the gods are called as witnesses to the covenant. With Israel it is Yahweh who is the witness. Interestingly, God calls creation as witness. We see this a number of times in the various covenants. The rainbow is a witness to the covenant made with Noah. When God announced the new covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34, He called creation as witness to it in verses 35-37. Creation is often called as a witness to God and His activity (see Psalm 29; Job 38-41). In the prophets, they call things that have been present forever such as mountains and rivers as a reminder of the covenant.
The final aspect of the covenant are the sanctions or blessings for following the covenant and curses for not following it. There are warnings throughout Deuteronomy but in particular in chapters 28 through 30. Joshua 24:14-22 is another example.
God chose Israel to be His holy people. “The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession” (Deuteronomy 7:6). He goes on to explain that God chose them not because they were large or powerful; they were small and weak. It was out of His love and oath that he brought them out of slavery. The question then is can God keep His promises? Deuteronomy 9:4-7 answers the question. God will drive out the wicked nations in Canaan, not because of Israel’s righteousness, but because of His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The Law was given as a gracious gift to Israel. It was to show His love for these people and then how the ethical ideas can mirror Yahweh so that they would be a holy people. Israel’s response is seen in three ways. The first is faithfulness vs. infidelity (Deuteronomy 4:5-8). They were to follow or be faithful to the decrees of Yahweh. Second, was memory vs. forgetfulness (4:9-10). “Only be careful and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live.” This is repeated several times in Deuteronomy such as in chapter 8. The story begins with God and then how we respond (6:20-25). The third point is obedience vs. disobedience (6:4-9). It was important for them to follow what God wanted as part of the covenant relationship.
The consequences are severe. Breaking the law was a violation of a personal relationship between God and Israel. Unlike the treaties or covenants in pagan nations, Yahweh’s covenant with Israel was personal. God would, and did, walk among them necessitating that they be a holy people. He would dwell with them in the tabernacle in the wilderness. A second problem would be to attribute to another god what Yahweh has done for them. Idolatry was, and is, a major problem for humanity. Throughout the Hebrew Bible idolatry is condemned and mocked, yet people continued to be involved in it. Today we have many idols, things and people we elevate to a position that we value more than anything other than God. We have made these things gods (2).
The New Covenant is built on the Old and has similar characteristics. The preamble is God identifying Himself in Jesus Christ (John 1:1). The historical prologue in citing His credentials can be seen in John 1:14 and Philippians 2:6-8 and more. The stipulations or demands and loyalty are seen in living the resurrected life. The public reading or copying of the covenant is seen in the good news, the presentation of the message of the cross. The divine invocation in calling witnesses would include the Holy Spirit, the apostles, and of course, His word. Finally the sanctions or blessings and cursings would involved our living a holy life of disciples following Jesus. Much more could be said about this.
God keeps His covenants because of who He is and His great love for humanity. This we must remember.
George B. Mearns
(1) Thoughts come from Rick Marrs, Did We Through the Baby Out with The Bathwater, Pepperdine University Bible Lectureship, 2009.
(2) See Tim Keller, The Reason For God, for a discussion of this.