Joshua and Judges: Abrahamic Covenant and its fulfillment in the Millennium, part 10. Isa 63:7-19; 52:7; 35:8-10; Deu 10:12-17.

Title: Joshua and Judges: Abrahamic Covenant and its fulfillment in the Millennium, part 10. ISA 63:7-19; 52:7; 35:8-10; DEU 10:12-17.

 

Announcements/opening prayer: Veterans Day: On this day in 1918 the armistice with Germany went into effect, which would effectively end World War 1.

 

 

The Millennium is a time without war because the presence of Jesus Christ seated on a human, earthly throne prevents any attempt at it - swords are beaten into plowshares. Yet until that day, the same Lord stated that there would always be wars and rumors of wars. History, as well as current events have shown this to be fully accurate. So in light of the constant conflict that will be fought out physically upon this earth until the Lord comes we should all thank those who have served in our nation's military. Whether they have seen combat or not, whether they have been special forces or worked at a desk and everything in between, all have been needed to create and maintain the greatest fighting force, in times of war and in times of peace, that the world has ever seen. Their very presence is a restraining force upon those who wish to destroy us, and there are many who fit that description. So to all our veterans on this day, I thank you for your service to our country and our freedom.

 

The millennium will be the period of the full manifestation of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

There will be a full display of divine mercy.

 

ISA 63:7 I shall make mention of the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, According to all that the Lord  has granted us, And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,

Which He has granted them according to His compassion,

And according to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses.

 

ISA 63:8 For He said, "Surely, they are My people,

Sons who will not deal falsely."

So He became their Savior.

 

ISA 63:9 In all their affliction He was afflicted,

And the angel of His presence saved them;

In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them;

And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.

 

ISA 63:10 But they rebelled

And grieved His Holy Spirit;

Therefore, He turned Himself to become their enemy,

He fought against them.

 

ISA 63:11 Then His people remembered the days of old, of Moses.

Where is He who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them,

 

ISA 63:12 Who caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, Who divided the waters before them to make for Himself an everlasting name,

 

ISA 63:13 Who led them through the depths?

Like the horse in the wilderness, they did not stumble;

 

ISA 63:14 As the cattle which go down into the valley,

The Spirit of the Lord gave them rest.

So didst Thou lead Thy people,

To make for Thyself a glorious name.

 

ISA 63:15 Look down from heaven, and see from Thy holy and glorious habitation; Where are Thy zeal and Thy mighty deeds?

The stirrings of Thy heart and Thy compassion are restrained toward me.

 

ISA 63:16 For Thou art our Father, though Abraham does not know us, And Israel does not recognize us.

Thou, O Lord, art our Father,

Our Redeemer from of old is Thy name.

 

ISA 63:17 Why, O Lord, dost Thou cause us to stray from Thy ways, And harden our heart from fearing Thee?

Return for the sake of Thy servants, the tribes of Thy heritage.

 

ISA 63:18 Thy holy people possessed Thy sanctuary for a little while, Our adversaries have trodden it down.

 

ISA 63:19 We have become like those over whom Thou hast never ruled, Like those who were not called by Thy name.

 

Divine goodness will also be displayed through Him.

 

JER 33:7 'And I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and I will rebuild them as they were at first.

 

JER 33:8 'And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned against Me, and by which they have transgressed against Me.

 

JER 33:9 'And it shall be to Me a name of joy, praise, and glory before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear of all the good that I do for them, and they shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.'

 

ISA 52:7

How lovely on the mountains

Are the feet of him who brings good news,

Who announces peace

And brings good news of happiness,

Who announces salvation,

And says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

 

The holiness of God will be manifested through the Messiah,

 

ISA 35:8 And a highway will be there, a roadway,

And it will be called the Highway of Holiness.

The unclean will not travel on it,

But it will be for him who walks that way,

And fools will not wander on it.

 

ISA 35:9 No lion will be there,

Nor will any vicious beast go up on it;

These will not be found there.

But the redeemed will walk there,

 

ISA 35:10 And the ransomed of the Lord will return,

And come with joyful shouting to Zion,

With everlasting joy upon their heads.

They will find gladness and joy,

And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

 

REV 15:4

"Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name?

For Thou alone art holy;

For all the nations will come and worship before Thee,

For Thy righteous acts have been revealed."

 

Thus, through the Millennium, there will be a full display of the divine attributes, so that Christ might be glorified as God.

 

The Abrahamic Covenant determines the whole eschatological program of the word of God. This covenant becomes the seed from which are brought forth the later covenants made with Israel - the land, the seed, and the blessing.

 

The things promised by God are the following:

1. That Abra­ham’s name shall be great.

2. That a great nation should come from him.

3. He should be a blessing so great that in him shall all families of the earth be blessed.

 

4. To him personally and to his seed should be given Palestine forever to in­herit.

5. The multitude of his seed should be as the dust of the earth.

6. That whoever blessed him should be blessed, and who­soever cursed him should be cursed.

 

7. He should be the father of many nations.

8. Kings should proceed from him.

9. The covenant shall be perpetual, “an everlasting covenant.”

10. The land of Canaan shall be “an everlasting possession.”

 

11. God will be a God to him and to his seed.

12. His seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.

13. In his seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.

 

The promises in one area cannot be transferred to another, which is the error of the covenant theologian. Personal promises cannot be transferred to the nation and promises to Israel cannot be transferred to the Gentiles.

 

When these particulars are analyzed it will be seen that certain individual promises were given to Abraham, certain national promises respecting the nation Israel, of which he was the father, were given to him, and certain universal blessings that encom­passed all nations were given to him.

 

JOS 5:1 Now it came about when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard how the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel until they had crossed, that their hearts melted, and there was no spirit in them any longer, because of the sons of Israel.

 

JOS 5:2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, "Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time."

 

JOS 5:3 So Joshua made himself flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.

 

Circumcision is the token of the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant and the marriage contract was the conditional Mosaic covenant.

 

God's grace and mercy shown in the unconditional AC places an obligation on the heart of the OT Jew to follow the conditional MC. Hence, there is a circumcision of the heart.

 

This is the true aspect of the relation between what is unconditional and what is conditional. This why every prophet would remind and warn Israel of the conditional marriage contract, predict their doom and demise in divorce from God if they did not turn back to Him and then prophecy about the glory of the Millennium directly after. The reminder of God's unconditional gracious gift was to remind them of the obligation they had to Him to follow the conditional marriage contract.

 

The full understanding of the matter comes out only in the great teaching of the New Testament. Jews may be astonished to learn that there is more about circumcision in the New Testament than there is in the Old Testament. In the Hebrew Bible, the verb and the noun for circumcision are to be found in only eleven different chapters. If we reduce this number by eliminating the accounts which mention the circumcision of Isaac, Moses' son, and that of the children born in the wilderness between Egypt and the promised land, and if we reduce it further by eliminating the announcement that men had to be circumcised to partake of the Passover, there are but four passages which remain.

 

Of the eleven chapters of circumcision mentioned in the OT, four have direct reference to holy living.

 

These four passages, however, are the key passages on the subject, and form the basis for the New Testament teaching on holy living among the people of God. The great fact is that God wishes those who name His name to become like Him day by day. He is a holy God who demands holiness of His people. We are all born as children of Adam, with natures that are prone to sin.

 

The greatest of all sins is that each of us desires his own way. Wanting one's own way is absolutely natural and absolutely sinful.

 

ISA 53:6

All of us like sheep have gone astray,

Each of us has turned to his own way;

But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all

To fall on Him.

 

This is the declaration of God, and is the reason why God had to intervene to provide a way of salvation. How can a man be brought to leave the way of his own desires in order to return to the way of God? It is not a matter that may be treated lightly.

 

HOS 10:13

You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice,

You have eaten the fruit of lies.

Because you have trusted in your way, in your numerous warriors,

These four passages, however, are the key passages on the subject, and form the basis for the New Testament teaching on holy living among the people of God. The great fact is that God wishes those who name His name to become like Him day by day. He is a holy God who demands holiness of His people. We are all born as children of Adam, with natures that are prone to sin.

 

The greatest of all sins is that each of us desires his own way. Wanting one's own way is absolutely natural and absolutely sinful.

 

ISA 53:6

All of us like sheep have gone astray,

Each of us has turned to his own way;

But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all

To fall on Him.

 

This is the declaration of God, and is the reason why God had to intervene to provide a way of salvation. How can a man be brought to leave the way of his own desires in order to return to the way of God? It is not a matter that may be treated lightly.

 

HOS 10:13

You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice,

You have eaten the fruit of lies.

Because you have trusted in your way, in your numerous warriors,

 

What would have kept the judgments of God away from His people? What would bring certain blessings from God in time, which we might call secondary to the blessings of the unconditional aspects of God's plan? The Jew in the OT was blessed with certain aspects of the Abrahamic covenant. If he was an unbeliever he still enjoyed the blessings of the Promised Land with his countrymen. If he was a believer he was guaranteed resurrection and entering into the Millennial reign of Christ. If he was a believer who turned his back on the marriage covenant, like king Saul did, then he missed out on the blessings of the marriage contract or Mosaic covenant, blessings that were tied to the unconditional Abrahamic covenant, but conditioned on following the ways of God.

 

DEU 27:1 Then Moses and the elders of Israel charged the people, saying, "Keep all the commandments which I command you today.

 

DEU 27:15 'Cursed is the man who makes an idol or a molten image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret.' And all the people shall answer and say,' Amen.'

 

This same pattern follows until the end of the chapter.

 

Then the blessings are announced.

 

DEU 28:1 "Now it shall be, if you will diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.

 

And then a repetition of the curses.

 

DEU 28:15 "But it shall come about, if you will not obey the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.

 

This continues all the way to verse 68!

 

So again, what would have kept the judgments of God away from His people? The answer is found in the true meaning of circumcision.

 

What would bring certain blessings from God in time, which we might call secondary to the blessings of the unconditional aspects of God's plan?