When we come to Genesis 15 we read one of
the most explicit descriptions of covenant to be found in the bible. It is represented by the yellow candle.
This covenant is built upon the promises
to be found in Genesis 12:
· I will make you a great nation
[v.2]
· I will bless you
[v.2]
· All the families on earth will be blessed
through you. [v.3]
There is just one problem with all
this: Abraham is childless. So how will
he become a great nation & how will all the earth be blessed through these
non~existant descendants? A point
Abraham is quick to point out to the Lord: Oh,
Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son?
[[15:2]
Look up into the sky & count the stars
if you can. That’s how many descendants
you will have. [v.5]
Abraham
believed the Lord, & the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith…
just the same, he wasn’t taking any chances. How can I be sure…? Sure that I
will posses the land? Sure that my sons
will inherit?
So the Lord cuts covenant with Abraham.
Now understand covenant is a continuous,
ongoing process that began in the garden & it was understood to be a
covenant between God & mankind for Hosea 6:7 states: But like Adam they have transgressed
the covenant; There they have dealt treacherously against Me.
So when we come to Abraham, we understand
we are still seeing the outpouring of God’s redemptive grace working to restore
a fallen world to Himself.
Did Abraham deserve God’s blessings? No more than you or I ~ which is to say not
at all ~ but God’s love is not deterred by our limitations. It is He who sets
out the terms of the covenant & it is He who keeps the conditions for he is
wholly trustworthy. His yes is yes, His
no is no & He changes not.
The terms of the covenant required one of
each animal suitable for Temple sacrifice:
· A
3 yr old heifer
· A
3yr old female goat
· A
3yr old ram
· A
turtledove &
· A
young pigeon
We see the terms of God’s covenant working
at multiple levels. First the practical.
Covenant is a legal contract. The terms & conditions are very specific,
as are the obligations & responsibilities & once entered into it cannot
be altered in any detail. It is absolutely
binding. To confirm the covenant the animals sacrificed would be cut in half
& the people *cutting covenant* would pass between the cut pieces to
confirm the covenant. In essence the meaning is: may the same be done to me if I break faith with the covenant I have
made.
Secondly, this is a *blood covenant* for
Leviticus 17:11 says: For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given
it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by
reason of the life that makes atonement.’
This makes more sense if we keep in mind
that all of Torah is a picture of Jesus …
the mediator of a new
covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better than that of Abel… [Hebrews 12:24] because all the promises are Yes &
Amen, in Jesus [2 Corinthians 1:20]
The NLT renders the end
of this verse as: which speaks of
forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel . While it is not a literal translation of the
Greek I like it because it highlights something found in Genesis 4:10: He said, "What have you done? The voice
of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground… The life is in the
blood ~ & it has a voice!
As on the cross it is God who sets out the
terms of the covenant, God who establishes the covenant & only God who
passes through the cut pieces BUT, he ratifies the covenant in response to
Abraham’s obedience.
The 3rd aspect is prophetic in
nature but I will only highlight some aspects of this.
Five animals are chosen. They will become the temple sacrificial
animals but the thing that strikes me most forcefully is the number. Five is the number of Grace. Five is the
Number of Torah & 5 is the number of the Gospel! Five is the number of
prayer, of protection, of anointing; 5 ingredients are used in the temple
incense & anointing oil. There are five
books in Torah, a 5~fold ministry, 5 stones to defeat Goliath & fruit is
ready to eat from a tree in the 5th year.
Hey is the 5th Hebrew letter
& it’s pictograph meaning is breath, Spirit, Behold.
When the number of grace is multiplied
upon itself you get Grace upon Grace~ [For of
His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. John 1:16 ]~
you see this applied visually in the way the temple oil was prepared in
multiples of 5:
·
Pure Myrrh, 500 shekels
·
Sweet cinnamon, 250 shekels
·
Sweet calamus, 250 shekels
·
Cassia, 500 shekels
·
To a hin [about 5 litres] of olive oil.
God’s grace displayed in a tangible way!
The Abramic covenant set in motion the particulars
that will pave the way for Christ to become incarnate in the world: One, man,
one nation, one people, one bloodline, one family, culminating in Jesus
Christ., who blesses the entire world.
Lastly this covenant demonstrates a very particular
point. Isaac, not Ishmael, was the child of the promise. Only Isaac fulfilled
the terms of the covenant promise because he was the legitimate heir. In
Genesis 22:2 he is called *your only son*. It is here in Genesis 22 that you
see how great Abraham’s faith was but his faith was built solidly on the
covenant promises of Genesis 15.
Remember, the terms of the covenant cannot be
altered once they have been entered into.
Abraham knew that God was absolutely obligated to keep His promise. He couldn’t change the terms & conditions
because they had been sealed in blood.
Isaac was the child of promise so whatever happened
when God called Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, Abraham knew that one way
or another God had to keep the terms of the covenant! God provided a ram for
Abraham but His own son went to the cross.
A dead god is no god at all. A
broken covenant is no covenant at all.
The son was promised in the garden. From Adam to Noah, to Abraham to Moses, God
is continually preparing the way for His son: A son who would defeat satan,
destroy the works of the devil, heal the sick, bind up the broken hearted,
restore creation & set mankind free so He did the only thing He could have
done. He raised Christ from the dead!
Hebrews 8:6 But now He [Jesus] has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much
as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on
better promises.
Hebrews is very clear on the matter: For this reason He is the mediator of a new
covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the
transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have
been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. [9:15]
Every time, every single time we come to
communion, we remember that covenant.
And
having taken the bread,
having given thanks, He broke it and
gave to them, saying, "This is My body, which is given for you; do this in
remembrance of Me,"
And
in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup
which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.
Luke 22:19~20And we celebrate His death until He comes again for His death
procures for us that new covenant.
Hosea 6:6 For
I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather
than burnt offerings. Praise the Lord!
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