Lesson 11 “The Covenant” December 5-11

Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, December 12.

http://www.ssnet.org/lessons/15d/less11.html

Memory Text: “'The days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah'” (Jeremiah 31:31, NIV).

Although the Bible speaks of “covenants” in the plural (Rom. 9:4, Gal. 4:24), there is only one basic covenant, the covenant of grace, in which God bestows salvation upon fallen beings who claim it by faith. The idea of plural “covenants” arises from the various ways God has restated the essential covenant promise in order to meet the needs of His people in different times and settings.

But whether it's the Adamic covenant (Gen. 3:15), the Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 12:1-3, Gal. 3:6-9), the Sinaitic covenant (Exod. 20:2), the Davidic covenant (Ezek. 37:24-27), or the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-33), the idea is the same. The salvation God provides is a gift, unmerited and undeserved, and the human response to that gift-in a sense, humanity's holding up its side of the deal-is faithfulness and obedience.The first mention of the New Covenant is in Jeremiah, in the context of Israel's return from exile and the blessings that God would grant them. Even amid calamity and trouble, the Lord extends to His wayward people the offer of hope and restoration.

Sunday December 6God's Covenant With All Humanity

We look at how bad the world is today; that is, we see all the evil in it, and yet God still bears with us. Thus, we can only imagine just how bad things must have been in order for the Lord to destroy the whole world with a flood. “God had given men His commandments as a rule of life, but His law was transgressed, and every conceivable sin was the result. The wickedness of men was open and daring, justice was trampled in the dust, and the cries of the oppressed reached unto heaven.”-Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets , p. 91 .Read Genesis 9:1-17.Gen 9:1  And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.Gen 9:2  And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.Gen 9:3  Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.Gen 9:4  But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.Gen 9:5  And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.Gen 9:6  Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.Gen 9:7  And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.Gen 9:8  And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,

Gen 9:9  And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;Gen 9:10  And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.Gen 9:11   And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

9. I establish my covenant. To give Noah and his sons a firm assurance of the prosperous continuance of the human race, God established a covenant with them and their descendants and confirmed it with a visible sign. The covenant contemplated all subsequent posterity in its provisions, and, along with the human family, the entire animal creation.

10. All that go out of the ark. This passage does not imply, as some expositors have explained it, that certain animals had survived the Flood without having been in the ark, and that therefore there was only a partial inundation of the earth. Inasmuch as this view squarely contradicts clear statements that all land and air animals that had not found a haven of refuge in the ark had been destroyed (chs. 6:17; 7:4, 21–23), another explanation must be found. The preposition “to,” in the phrase “to every beast,” is here more appropriately rendered “of” or “with regard to” (see ch. 20:13, “of me”). The RSV, following the LXX, renders it thus: “Every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark.”

11. Neither shall all flesh be cut off. This “covenant” contained but one provision and assumed the form of a divine promise. Regions might be devastated and animals and men swept away by the hundreds or thousands, but never again would there be a universal destruction of the earth by a flood. However, this promise does not imply that God is bound never to destroy the world again by another means than water. His declared plan to put an end to all wickedness at the close of this world’s history by a great destructive fire (2 Peter 3:7, 10, 11; Rev. 20:9; etc.) in no way contradicts the promise.

Gen 9:12  And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:Gen 9:13  I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

12. This is the token. This token God deemed necessary in order to give His creatures faith in His promises, it being an instance of His condescension to the weakness of man. Man looks for signs (Matt. 24:3; 1 Cor. 1:22), and God in His mercy and goodness has provided them, within limits, although He wants His followers to retain their faith even when no signs guide them, and to believe without visible evidence (John 20:29).

13. I do set my bow. The establishment of the rainbow as a covenant sign of the promise that there would never be another flood, presupposes that it appeared then for the first time in the clouds of heaven. This is one more indication that no rain had fallen before the Flood. The rainbow is produced by the refraction and reflection of the sun’s light through the ball-shaped raindrops on which the rays fall.

Gen 9:14  And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:Gen 9:15  And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.Gen 9:16  And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

Gen 9:17  And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

15. I will remember my covenant. The rainbow, a natural physical phenomenon, was a fitting symbol of God’s promise never to destroy the earth again by a flood. Inasmuch as the climatic conditions of the earth would be completely different after the Flood, and rains would in most parts of the world take the place of the

former beneficent dew to moisten the soil, something was needed to quiet men’s fears each time rain began to fall. The spiritual mind can see in natural phenomena God’s revelations of Himself (see Rom. 1:20). Thus the rainbow is evidence to the believer that the rain will bring blessing and not universal destruction.

John saw in vision a rainbow surrounding the throne of God (Rev. 4:3). Man looks on the bow to recall the promise of God, but God Himself looks upon it to remember and fulfill His promise. In the bow man’s faith and trust meet God’s faithfulness and immutability.

The beams of holy light streaming forth from the Sun of Righteousness (Mal. 4:2), as seen by the eye of faith through the prism of life’s experiences, reveal the beauty of the righteous character of Jesus Christ. The eternal covenant between Father and Son (Zech. 6:13) assures to every humble, faithful son and daughter of God the privilege of beholding in Jesus the One altogether lovely, and, beholding Him, of being changed into His very likeness.

17. This is the token. This covenant between God and Noah brought to a conclusion the events connected with the greatest catastrophe this earth has ever experienced. The earth, once beautiful and perfect, offered a picture of utter desolation as far as the eye could reach. Man had received a lesson concerning the awful results of sin. The unfallen worlds had seen the fearful end to which man comes when he follows the bidding of Satan.

A new beginning was to be made. Inasmuch as only faithful and obedient members of the antediluvian human family had survived the Flood, there was reason to hope that the future would present a happier picture than the past. After having been saved by God’s grace from the greatest imaginable cataclysm, the descendants of Noah might be expected to apply for all future ages the lessons learned from the Flood.1

What covenant was made between God and humanity, and how does it reflect God's grace toward the creation? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: To give Noah and his sons a firm assurance of the prosperous continuance of the human race, God established a covenant with them and their descendants and confirmed it with a visible sign. The covenant contemplated all subsequent posterity in its provisions, and, along with the human family, the entire animal creation. The agreement was to never again would there be a universal destruction of the earth by a flood. However, this promise does not imply that God is bound never to destroy the world again by another means than water. His declared plan to put an end to all wickedness at the close of this world’s history by a great destructive fire (2 Peter 3:7, 10, 11; Rev. 20:9; etc.) in no way contradicts the promise.

The covenant God expressed to Noah was the most universal among the biblical covenants; it was with all humanity, and it included the animals and nature too (Gen. 9:12). Also, this was a one-sided arrangement: the Lord didn't impose any requirements or stipulations upon those with whom He was establishing the covenant. He simply was not going to destroy the earth with water again, period. Unlike other covenants, nothing was conditional about it.

God then sealed His covenant with a visible sign, that of a rainbow, which symbolizes the covenant promise that the earth will never be destroyed by a flood again. So, anytime we see a rainbow, the mere fact that we are here to see it is, in its own way, a vindication of this ancient covenant promise. (After all, if we had been wiped out in a universal flood, we wouldn't be here to see the rainbow!) Amid the constant sin and evil here on earth, at times we are blessed with the beauty of the rainbow, a sign of God's grace toward the whole world. We can look up at it and draw hope, not only from just how beautiful it is in and of itself, but also because we know that it's a message from God, a message of His love toward our wretched planet.

Dwell upon the grandeur and beauty of a rainbow. Especially in light of

1 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1978). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 265). Review and Herald Publishing Association.

what the Bible tells us about the rainbow, in what ways can it draw us toward God, toward transcendence, toward something greater than what this mere earth itself offers? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: A) In the bow man’s faith and trust meet God’s faithfulness and immutability. B) The beams of holy light streaming forth from the Sun of Righteousness (Mal. 4:2), as seen by the eye of faith through the prism of life’s experiences, reveal the beauty of the righteous character of Jesus Christ. C) The eternal covenant between Father and Son (Zech. 6:13) assures to every humble, faithful son and daughter of God the privilege of beholding in Jesus the One altogether lovely, and, beholding Him, of being changed into His very likeness. Hence, it draws us to Him because f His mercy and glory, It impresses us of His transcendence in that we behold how great His ability is to create something so magnificent and constant.

Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 90 – 96.Chapter 7 - The Flood

In the days of Noah a double curse was resting upon the earth in consequence of Adam's transgression and of the murder committed by Cain. Yet this had not greatly changed the face of nature. There were evident tokens of decay, but the earth was still rich and beautiful in the gifts of God's providence. The hills were crowned with majestic trees supporting the fruit-laden branches of the vine. The vast, gardenlike plains were clothed with verdure, and sweet with the fragrance of a thousand flowers. The fruits of the earth were in great variety, and almost without limit. The trees far surpassed in size, beauty, and perfect proportion any now to be found; their wood was of fine grain and hard substance, closely resembling stone, and hardly less enduring. Gold, silver, and precious stones existed in abundance.

The human race yet retained much of its early vigor. But a few generations had passed since Adam had access to the tree which was to prolong life; and man's existence was still measured by centuries. Had that long-lived people, with their rare powers to plan and execute, devoted themselves to the service of God, they would have made their Creator's name a praise in the earth, and would have answered the purpose for which He gave them life. But they failed to do this. There were many giants, men of great stature and strength, renowned for wisdom, skillful in devising the most cunning and wonderful works; but their guilt in giving loose rein to iniquity was in proportion to their skill and mental ability.

God bestowed upon these antediluvians many and rich gifts; but they used His bounties to glorify themselves, and turned them into a curse by fixing their affections upon the gifts instead of the Giver. They employed the gold and silver, the precious stones and the choice wood, in the construction of habitations for themselves, and endeavored to excel one another in beautifying their dwellings with the most skillful workmanship. They sought only to gratify the desires of their own proud hearts, and revelled in scenes of pleasure and wickedness. Not desiring to retain God in their knowledge, they soon came to deny His existence. They adored nature in place of the God of nature. They glorified human genius, worshiped the works of their own hands, and taught their children to bow down to graven images.In the green fields and under the shadow of the goodly trees they set up the altars of their idols. Extensive groves, that retained their foliage throughout the year, were dedicated to the worship of false gods. With these groves were connected beautiful gardens, their long, winding avenues overhung with fruit-bearing trees of all descriptions, adorned with statuary, and furnished with all that could delight the senses or minister to the voluptuous desires of the people, and thus allure them to participate in

the idolatrous worship.Men put God out of their knowledge and worshiped the creatures of their own

imagination; and as the result, they became more and more debased. The psalmist describes the effect produced upon the worshiper by the adoration of idols. He says, "They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them." Psalm 115:8. It is a law of the human mind that by beholding we become changed.

Man will rise no higher than his conceptions of truth, purity, and holiness. If the mind is never exalted above the level of humanity, if it is not uplifted by faith to contemplate infinite wisdom and love, the man will be constantly sinking lower and lower. The worshipers of false gods clothed their deities with human attributes and passions, and thus their standard of character was degraded to the likeness of sinful humanity. They were defiled in consequence. "God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. . . . The earth also was corrupt before God; and the earth was filled with violence." God had given men His commandments as a rule of life, but His law was transgressed, and every conceivable sin was the result. The wickedness of men was open and daring, justice was trampled in the dust, and the cries of the oppressed reached unto heaven.

Polygamy had been early introduced, contrary to the divine arrangement at the beginning. The Lord gave to Adam one wife, showing His order in that respect. But after the Fall, men chose to follow their own sinful desires; and as the result, crime and wretchedness rapidly increased. Neither the marriage relation nor the rights of property were respected. Whoever coveted the wives or the possessions of his neighbor, took them by force, and men exulted in their deeds of violence. They delighted in destroying the life of animals; and the use of flesh for food rendered them still more cruel and bloodthirsty, until they came to regard human life with astonishing indifference.

The world was in its infancy; yet iniquity had become so deep and widespread that God could no longer bear with it; and He said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth." He declared that His Spirit should not always strive with the guilty race. If they did not cease to pollute with their sins the world and its rich treasures, He would blot them from His creation, and would destroy the things with which He had delighted to bless them; He would sweep away the beasts of the field, and the vegetation which furnished such an abundant supply of food, and would transform the fair earth into one vast scene of desolation and ruin.

Amid the prevailing corruption, Methuselah, Noah, and many others labored to keep alive the knowledge of the true God and to stay the tide of moral evil. A hundred and twenty years before the Flood, the Lord by a holy angel declared to Noah His purpose, and directed him to build an ark. While building the ark he was to preach that God would bring a flood of water upon the earth to destroy the wicked. Those who would believe the message, and would prepare for that event by repentance and reformation, should find pardon and be saved. Enoch had repeated to his children what God had shown him in regard to the Flood, and Methuselah and his sons, who lived to hear the preaching of Noah, assisted in building the ark.

God gave Noah the exact dimensions of the ark and explicit directions in regard to its construction in every particular. Human wisdom could not have devised a structure of so great strength and durability. God was the designer, and Noah the master builder. It was constructed like the hull of a ship, that it might float upon the water, but in some respects it more nearly resembled a house. It was three stories high, with but one door, which was in the side. The light was admitted at the top, and the different apartments were so arranged that all were lighted. The material employed in the construction of the

ark was the cypress, or gopher wood, which would be untouched by decay for hundreds of years. The building of this immense structure was a slow and laborious process. On account of the great size of the trees and the nature of the wood, much more labor was required then than now to prepare timber, even with the greater strength which men then possessed. All that man could do was done to render the work perfect, yet the ark could not of itself have withstood the storm which was to come upon the earth. God alone could preserve His servants upon the tempestuous waters.

"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." Hebrews 11:7. While Noah was giving his warning message to the world, his works testified of his sincerity. It was thus that his faith was perfected and made evident. He gave the world an example of believing just what God says. All that he possessed, he invested in the ark. As he began to construct that immense boat on dry ground, multitudes came from every direction to see the strange sight and to hear the earnest, fervent words of the singular preacher. Every blow struck upon the ark was a witness to the people.

Many at first appeared to receive the warning; yet they did not turn to God with true repentance. They were unwilling to renounce their sins. During the time that elapsed before the coming of the Flood, their faith was tested, and they failed to endure the trial. Overcome by the prevailing unbelief, they finally joined their former associates in rejecting the solemn message. Some were deeply convicted, and would have heeded the words of warning; but there were so many to jest and ridicule, that they partook of the same spirit, resisted the invitations of mercy, and were soon among the boldest and most defiant scoffers; for none are so reckless and go to such lengths in sin as do those who have once had light, but have resisted the convicting Spirit of God.

The men of that generation were not all, in the fullest acceptation of the term, idolaters. Many professed to be worshipers of God. They claimed that their idols were representations of the Deity, and that through them the people could obtain a clearer conception of the divine Being. This class were foremost in rejecting the preaching of Noah. As they endeavored to represent God by material objects, their minds were blinded to His majesty and power; they ceased to realize the holiness of His character, or the sacred, unchanging nature of His requirements. As sin became general, it appeared less and less sinful, and they finally declared that the divine law was no longer in force; that it was contrary to the character of God to punish transgression; and they denied that His judgments were to be visited upon the earth. Had the men of that generation obeyed the divine law, they would have recognized the voice of God in the warning of His servant; but their minds had become so blinded by rejection of light that they really believed Noah's message to be a delusion.

Monday December 7 The Covenant With Abraham

Read Genesis 12:1-3, 15:1-5, 17:1-14.Genesis 12:1-3 Promises to Abram 1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country,From your familyAnd from your father”s house, To a land that I will show you.

1. Get thee out. Henceforward Abram is the hero of the Genesis narrative. This is the first recorded divine revelation to Abram, although it is known from Acts 7:2 that God had appeared to him at least once previously. The word of Jehovah begins with a command, continues with a promise, and ends with a blessing. These three significant aspects characterize every manifestation of God to man. The promises of God are fulfilled and His blessings received only as His commands are obeyed. Men are usually desirous of

sharing God’s blessings and realizing His promises without cooperating with His requirements.The Lord’s call required Abram to make a complete break with the past. He not only had to leave the land of

the two rivers, Mesopotamia, in which Ur as well as Haran was situated, but also had to give up family ties and even his father’s house, never to return to those of his own blood and race. It was a severe test. Haran and Ur shared the same civilization and standards of living. All this would change immediately when he should leave the land of the two rivers and cross over to Syria and Palestine. Instead of fertile grazing lands he would find a heavily wooded and mountainous country. Instead of living among related and highly civilized peoples, he would be sojourning among tribes of a materially lower culture and an especially degraded religion.

It certainly must not have been easy for Abram to sever all ties with his beloved homeland, a land in which he had spent all of his life and which was hallowed by many tender associations. A youth may leave his native land with little regret, but to a man 75 years of age such a decision is not easy.2

2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. All families of the earth. The Hebrew word here translated “earth,” ‘’adamah, means, essentially, “ground,” or “soil.” All nations and all ages are included. It was the “ground” that had been cursed after the Fall (Gen. 3:17), the same ground out of which man had originally been made. That curse had come because of the unfaithfulness of one man (Rom. 5:12), and now all families of the “ground” were to receive blessing through the obedience of one who was found faithful. As his spiritual offspring, Christians today share in the blessing imparted to Abram (Gal. 3:8, 29). The blessing vouchsafed to him would finally unite divided families on earth, and change the dread curse pronounced upon the ground because of sin into a blessing for all men. All further promises to the patriarchs and to Israel either clarified or amplified the promise of salvation offered the entire human race in the first promise made to Abram.MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: From this text we see that it was God’s intended plan to make the covenant with all mankind....it was dependent on their separation from and cleaving to Him. It was dependent on obedience. It begins with a command, continues with a promise, and ends with a blessing. Genesis 15:1-5 Gods Covenant with Abram 1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” In a vision. Though this is not the first vision recorded in the Bible, the word “vision” is here used for the first time. The revelations of God occurred in different ways, whether to patriarchs, prophets, evangelists, or apostles: (1) By the personal manifestation of the second person of the Godhead, afterward incarnate for the salvation of mankind, for example, Deut. 34:10. (2) By an audible voice, sometimes accompanied by the appearance of symbols, as at Jesus’ baptism, in Matt. 3:16, 17. (3) By the ministry of angels appearing as human beings and performing miracles to accredit their mission, as to Samson’s mother, in Judges 13:3–7. (4) By the powerful agency of the Spirit of God upon the mind, imparting to it a clear conception and strong persuasion of the truth of the things perceived, as with Paul, in Acts 20:23. (5) By dreams, as in Jacob’s experience, in Gen. 28:11–15. (6) By visions occurring by either day or night, as in the instance discussed here or that of Balaam, in Num. 24:4, 16. The last two were the more common forms God used to communicate His will to men. This accords with the divine pronouncement, “If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream” (Num. 12:6). 2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come

2 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1978). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 293). Review and Herald Publishing Association.

from your own body shall be your heir.”5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”5. Look now toward heaven. This shows that the vision was given to Abram at night. Still in vision, the patriarch was led out into the open and bidden to lift his eyes to the starry sky and count—if he could—its myriad glittering orbs, if he would know the number of his seed. MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: From this text we see that it was God’s intended plan to share the covenant with an innumerable number of (believers) people. Genesis 17:1-14The Sign of the Covenant 1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.

Walk before me. For 13 years Abram had not fully walked “before” God; hence the command to do so. Abram was to walk as if in God’s very presence, conscious of divine inspection and solicitous for His approval—not behind Him, as if sensible of his shortcomings and desirous of avoiding observation. There is a marked difference between the expression used to designate Enoch’s (ch. 5:24) and Noah’s (ch. 6:9) lives, and this command. Of the two earlier patriarchs it was said that they walked “with God,” while Abram is asked to walk “before” Him. This suggests a less-complete degree of fellowship, and may have implied God’s displeasure with Abram’s lack of faith in marrying Hagar.

Be thou perfect. Just as righteousness received in faith (justification) was necessary to the establishment of the covenant, so a blameless walk before God (sanctification) was necessary to its maintenance. This exhortation may perhaps have been a veiled reference to the fact that Abram’s past life had not been entirely blameless. God wished Abram to understand that the ultimate realization of the divine promise required him to measure up more completely to God’s exalted standard of purity and holiness (see Matt. 5:8, 48). Abram was called to a higher experience than he had known heretofore.3

.   2   And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly .”

2. My covenant. This does not intimate a new covenant, but rather that the covenant concluded some 14 years earlier (ch. 15) was about to be carried out.4 3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.

7. I will establish my covenant. The terms and benefits of this covenant relate not only to Abraham as an individual but to all his descendants as well, both literal and spiritual. The promise here made to Abraham refers specifically to Christ (Gal. 3:16; Acts 2:30), and through Him, according to Paul, all Christians are to share in it (Gal. 3:29; Acts 16:31). A correct understanding of the terms of this covenant will go far toward maintaining a right relationship between God and the believer today.

An everlasting covenant. The word translated “everlasting” does not by any means always indicate an endless period (see on Ex. 21:6). “Everlasting” as used in the Bible generally denotes circumstances or conditions that are to persist so long as the object to which they apply can, by virtue of its inherent nature, be affected by them. This is clear from such expressions as let the king “live for ever” (1 Kings 1:31; Neh. 2:3; etc.), which simply expresses the wish that the king may enjoy a long life. Inasmuch as all followers

3 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1978). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 321). Review and Herald Publishing Association.4 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1978). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 321). Review and Herald Publishing Association.

of Christ—the spiritual seed of Abraham—are heirs to the glorious covenant promises (Gal. 3:7, 27–29), the “everlasting covenant” must remain in effect as long as the plan of salvation is operative. The provisions of God’s covenant with Abraham are thus available throughout all generations.

To be a God. This promise comprehends all the blessings of salvation and is a clear indication of the spiritual character of the Abrahamic covenant. God gives Himself to the one who enters into the covenant relationship, and in so doing bestows upon him all the privileges, the joys, and the glorious hope that come with kinship to God. He who thus becomes a son or a daughter of God can desire nothing more to make him happy, either in this life or in the life to come. It is as if God had said to Abraham, “Whatever I am or have, or whatever I can do, I will be and do for you and for your seed. All my boundless resources shall be employed for your protection, your consolation, and your salvation” (see Rom. 8:32). Blessed indeed are those whose God is Jehovah (Ps. 144:15). Under the terms of the everlasting covenant, God and the believer each gives himself without reservation to the other. 8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”9 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. 13 He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

What do these texts tell us about what the Lord intended to do through the covenant He made with Abraham? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: From this text we see that it was God’s intended plan to have both temporal and spiritual dimensions. It was centered in Jesus but embraced all mankind. Like the previous expression of the covenant, it had an indicator of loyalty, that of circumcision.

The Abrahamic covenant of grace is fundamental to the entire course of salvation history. That's why Paul used it to help explain the plan of salvation as it was fulfilled in Jesus Himself. Read... Galatians 3:6-96 just as Abraham   “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

6. Abraham believed God.... In Rom. 4:1–3 Paul quotes the same Scripture as evidence that Abraham was justified by faith and not by works. If that was true of Abraham, it must be true of his descendants (Gal. 3:7), and doubly so of his spiritual children (vs. 14, 26–29). The important point is the superiority of faith over the law as a means of attaining righteousness.

Accounted. Or, “counted,” “reckoned.” Abraham’s faith was credited to his account in heaven, thus balancing the account. Accordingly, God considered Abraham a righteous man. Works had nothing to do with his attainment of this favorable credit rating in the books of heaven. God simply offered it to him and he accepted it by faith, believing that God meant exactly what He said. His own efforts could never have purchased this blessed status. See on Rom. 4:9–13.

Faith does not satisfy the demands of the law, for the law requires perfect obedience. Therefore, if one is to be justified by faith, it must be on the basis of some other principle than the works of the law. To be credited as righteous means being forgiven and admitted to the favor of God. Man can do nothing to deserve the gift of Christ’s righteousness; he cannot claim it on the basis of merit. Divine grace makes it possible for a just God to consider repentant sinners righteous.

7. They which are of faith. That is, those who rely on faith in the saving merits of Christ, without “the works of the law” (see on ch. 2:16).

Children of Abraham. That is, his spiritual—not necessarily physical—descendants (see vs. 26–29). All who have the same unwavering faith that Abraham had are considered his spiritual heirs. They attain to righteousness as he did and are eligible to receive all the blessings promised him. In Rom. 4:10, 11 Paul stresses the fact that God imputed righteousness to Abraham before he was circumcised —the first so-called “work” of the law performed for every Jew and for every convert to Judaism. If Abraham could find justification apart from the works of the law, certainly Gentiles can do the same. This is the heart of Paul’s argument against the Judaizers, who were insisting on circumcision as a necessary prerequisite to justification. Paul argues that there is no difference between the way in which a Jew and a Gentile find favor with God; all are saved, if they find salvation at all, by faith (Rom. 3:22; 10:12). No Jew or Gentile was ever saved by “works.” The only way that any man can be saved is through faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).

8. Scripture. That is, the OT; here, particularly, the writings of Moses.Foreseeing. The quotation is from Gen. 12:3. The promise to Abraham was a statement of the divine

purpose to send the Saviour into the world (see on Gal. 3:16) and to save all who choose to come to Him in faith (v. 14).

Heathen. Gr. ethnē, “nations”; in NT usage always non-Jewish, pagan, Gentile nations. NT writers use the word laos, literally, “people,” when referring to the Jewish nation. It was good news to the gentiles that God offered them justification on the same basis as that on which He offered it to the Jews, that is, by faith.

Preached before the gospel. Gr. proeuaggelizomai, literally, “to announce good tidings beforehand.” The promise of Gen. 12:3 was an advance announcement of the good news of salvation through Christ. The good news announced to Abraham was that the blessing of salvation—of justification by faith—would come to all nations through him. Abraham had no righteousness of his own. Christ’s righteousness was imputed to him by God, and he accepted it by faith. All who become righteous, or justified, do so by faith, as did Abraham. This ever has been, and always will be, the only way men can experience justification.

In thee. Or, “through thee.” Abraham and his descendants were made the custodians of the good news of salvation and were commissioned to be its heralds to all men. Furthermore, one of his descendants was to be the Saviour of mankind. Thus, it was in these two respects that all nations were to receive the blessings of salvation through Abraham.

All nations. For a summary of OT instruction concerning the manner in which God purposed to evangelize “all nations” through His chosen people see Vol. IV, pp. 26–30.

9. They which. That is, those who seek righteousness through faith.Blessed. The blessing of righteousness came to the patriarch because he believed God, not because he

was chosen to be the progenitor of the Messiah. All who believe as he did will be blessed as he was. Abraham’s faith led him to obey God (Gen. 26:5), and all who have the faith that Abraham had will likewise obey God’s voice and faithfully observe His commandments (see Gen. 26:5; see on Matt. 7:21–27).5

 Galatians 3:15-18 The Changeless Promise15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a mans covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. 16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one,   “And to your Seed,”   who is Christ . 17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no

5 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1980). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 6, pp. 954–955). Review and Herald Publishing Association.

longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.15. After the manner of men. That is, to use a human illustration, one taken from common civil relations

between man and man (cf. Rom. 6:19).Covenant. Gr. diathēkē, generally in the NT and in the papyri “will,” or “testament,” meaning a

unilaterally formulated plan or arrangement that the other party might accept or reject, but could not alter. The word for a compact, or agreement, in which two parties come together on equal terms was sunthēkē, a word that does not occur in the NT, however. Paul here uses diathēkē, “man’s covenant”—“will,” or “testament”—to illustrate God’s “covenant” with Abraham (Gen. 15; Gal 3:6–9, 16–18). God ordained the provisions of that “covenant”; Abraham accepted them by faith and obeyed them.

Confirmed. That is, ratified, made binding, agreed to. Once an agreement has been formally accepted by those who enter into it, its provisions are legally binding and cannot be changed except by mutual consent. If the provisions of a human agreement are considered thus binding, Paul argues, would God capriciously alter His promise to Abraham to save men on the basis of their faith in the coming Messiah (see Gal. 3:6–9, 14; see on Gal. 3:16; Heb. 6:17, 18)?

Disannulleth. Or, “revokes,” “cancels.”16. Promises. These promises included a son to be his heir (Gen. 15:4), possession of the literal land of

Canaan (v. 18), the prospect of becoming a great nation (chs. 12:2; 15:5), progenitorship of the Messiah (Gal. 3:16), and the privilege of being God’s chosen instrument to proclaim salvation to the nations of earth (Gen. 12:3; Gal. 3:8, 14). These promises were repeated to Abraham upon several different occasions, over a space of nearly half a century (see Gen. 12:1–4, 7; 13:15, 16; 15:4, 5, 13–18; 17:1–8, 16–21; 18:10; 22:17, 18).

To seeds, as of many. That is, to all Abraham’s descendants.Thy seed. The objective of God’s covenant with Abraham was the coming of the Messiah and the

salvation of men. All the other promises were accessory to this. Great blessings were in store for the chosen people if they would cooperate with God (see Vol. IV, pp. 26–30), but unfortunately they failed to do so (pp. 30–33). Accordingly, they forfeited their role as the instrument of Heaven for the salvation of the world. Nevertheless, God overruled their failure to the extent that the Messiah came to earth in the fullness of time, as a Son of Abraham (see Vol. IV, p. 32).

Originally, the promise of posterity pointed forward in a literal sense to Isaac (see references cited above under “promises”; chs. 4:22, 23). But here, by inspiration, the apostle Paul points to a figurative truth deeper than that which the promise appeared, on the surface, to embrace (see on Deut. 18:15). The promise thus met its first and partial fulfillment in Isaac, but was to have a final and complete fulfillment in Christ. In here declaring that Christ was, in a special sense, the “seed” promised to Abraham, Paul does not excluded either Abraham’s lineal descendants through Isaac (see Gal. 4:23) or his spiritual descendants through Christ (see ch. 3:29). Accordingly, the promise met its supreme, but not exclusive, fulfillment in Christ.

17. The law. That is, the entire legal system under which Israel was constituted a theocracy at Mt. Sinai, including the moral law, which was proclaimed by God in person, and the ceremonial system promulgated through Moses.

Four hundred and thirty years. See Vol. I, p. 184. This period spans the interval from God’s original call to Abraham, to the establishment of Israel as a nation at the time of the Exodus (see on Gen. 12:3, 4; see on Ex. 12:40). This was the time of sojourn, first in Canaan and then in Egypt, between the promise to make of the Hebrews a nation and to establish them in the land of Canaan, and the fulfillment of that promises. Paul is here concerned particularly with the covenant promise at the beginning of the period and the giving of the law at its close, the law under which Israel was to function as a theocracy until the crucifixion (see DA 737, 738).

Cannot disannul. See on v. 15.Make the promise. The legal system ordained by God at Mt. Sinai (see p. 933; see on ch. 2:16) cannot

replace, or in any wise alter, the provisions of the covenant (see on ch. 3:15). Specifically, “the law” did not provide a new means of salvation; it did not establish a system of righteousness by works to take the place of, or to compete with, the promise of righteousness by faith in the coming Messiah (vs. 6–8, 14). Accordingly, men were saved by faith between Sinai and the cross. For the relation of the law to the covenant see on v. 19.

18. The inheritance. That is, the promises of the covenant (see on v. 16). In a material sense this refers to the land of Canaan; in an ethnic sense, to Israel’s role as God’s chosen people; and in a spiritual sense, to the

blessings of salvation through the Messiah. Although it is true of the first two that their basis was the covenant promise and not the law, Paul is here concerned more particularly with “the inheritance” of salvation by faith in Christ. In other words, God gave and they received “the inheritance” by virtue of their faith in God’s covenant promise, and not by their promise to fulfill the requirements of the legal system (see on Ex. 19:5, 8).

The law. Literally, “law” (see on Rom 2:12; Gal. 2:16).No more of promise. That is, on the basis of the promises incorporated into the covenant made with

Abraham (see on vs. 16, 17).By promise. The record is clear. The inheritance came by promise, not by law. Abraham had nothing but

God’s promise. His literal descendants were accorded the status of being God’s chosen people and were given possession of Canaan by virtue of that promise. It is true that they were to retain their status and possession of Canaan only if they complied with the law, but they did not earn title to their inheritance. Title was theirs only by virtue of faith in the promise; their fitness to retain that title was to be measured by their compliance with the will of God as expressed in “the law” (see Vol. IV, p. 34). Thus it is with the inheritance of salvation in this life (see on Heb. 5:9) and with the eternal inheritance of the saints in heavenly Canaan.6

How does Paul connect the covenant made with Abraham to Jesus and to salvation by faith alone? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: Paul connects the Abrahamic covenant to Jesus by underscoring that Jesus is that SEED spoken of as the only one all others would be blessed. It is connected to salvation by faith alone because it is rooted not in law but faith in a person and righteousness of Jesus.

Through Abraham's seed-referring not to his many descendants, but in particular to one, Jesus (see Gal. 3:16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made.), would find that Abraham's God would be their God as well. Even back then, Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Gal. 3:6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. ), God would bless the entire world. All who would be a part of Abraham's seed, which happens by faith in Christ (Gal. 3:29 And if you are Christs, then you are Abrahams seed, and heirs according to the promise.) Abraham was no more saved by works than the thief on the cross was; it's always and only God's saving grace that brings salvation. Abraham fulfilled his end of the covenant promise. His obedience revealed the faith that took hold of the promise of salvation. His works didn't justify him; instead, the works showed that he was already justified. That's the essence of the covenant and how it is expressed in the life of faith (see Rom. 4:1-3  Abraham Justified by Faith1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”).Dwell upon the great truth that your hope of salvation comes only from the righteousness of Jesus credited to you by faith. What great hope and joy can you derive from this wonderful provision made in your behalf? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: The hope that one day we shall be saved indeed as a result of Jesus. Happiness and joy is compounded by the fact that it is because of grace and not of works. It concludes with a redeemed earth, a glorified people who are forever connected to their Creator as members of His family.

Tuesday December 8 The Covenant at Sinai

6 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1980). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 6, pp. 956–958). Review and Herald Publishing Association.

How was the covenant made between Israel and God at Mount Sinai? Exodus 24:1-18   And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.Exo 24:2  And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.Exo 24:3  And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.Exo 24:4  And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.Exo 24:5  And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.Exo 24:6  And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.Exo 24:7  And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.Exo 24:8  And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.Exo 24:9  Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:Exo 24:10  And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.The body of heaven. That is, “clear as the sky itself.” We might think that this exalted honor and privilege would have established these men in enduring faith and obedience toward God. But the tragic story records that Aaron surrendered to the people’s impulsive demand for a golden calf (see Ex. 32:1–6) and that Nadab and Abihu were slain for offering “strange fire” (Num. 3:1–4). An exalted religious experience one day is no protection for the next (Matt. 14:28–33; Luke 13:25–27; 1 Cor. 10:11, 12).Exo 24:11  And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.Exo 24:12  And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.12. Come up to me. The remainder of the chapter narrates Moses’ 40 days of communion with God. Having given the Ten Commandments and the laws and “judgments” of the “book of the covenant,” God now proceeded to give instructions concerning the erection of the sanctuary, which was to be His dwelling place among the children of Israel (ch. 25:8). If man is left to himself to determine the tangible, material features of religious worship, he may easily err. As a safeguard, a “pattern” was shown Moses of all that was to enter into their worship (Ex. 25:9; Heb. 8:5), including exact details as to the material, size, shape, and construction of each object. These directions are recorded in Ex. 25 to 31. In order that Moses might have ample time to understand and remember the detailed instructions to be given him, he was to “be there,” that is, on “the mount,” for 40 days.7

Exo 24:13  And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.Exo 24:14  And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.

7 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1978). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 632). Review and Herald Publishing Association.

Exo 24:15  And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.Exo 24:16  And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.Exo 24:17  And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.Exo 24:18  And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights. MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: Moses and some leaders went to Mount Sinai. These leaders included Aaron and his two sons, who represented the priests; and the 70 elders and leaders, who represented the nation. The men accompanying Moses had to stop from afar, but Moses was allowed to go on up to where God appeared.Moses later came and affirmed the covenant with the whole nation. He proclaimed what God had spoken to him, to which the nation answered with the following words: “All the words which the Lord has said we will do.” (See Exod. 24:3, NKJV.)Of course, as sacred history has shown and as our own experience often proves, it's one thing to make the claim to be obedient; it's quite another to reach out in faith and surrender in order to harness the divine power that gives us the grace to do what we say we will.Read Hebrews 4:2. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them,   not being mixed with faith in those who heard   it .

How does this verse explain Israel's failure? How can we learn to avoid the same mistake? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: It explains Israel’s failure by letting us know that the failure originated in Israel’s attempting to keep the covenant by their own efforts, not of faith in the true SEED and in attempting to do so failed.

Only by faith and by grasping the promises that come by faith can we be obedient, an obedience that is expressed by loyalty to God's law. Obedience to the law was no more contrary to the everlasting covenant in Moses' time than it is in ours. The common misperception about the law and the covenants, which usually arises from reading Paul, stems from a failure to take into account the context in which Paul was writing, that of dealing with his Judaizing opponents. They wanted to make the law and obedience to it, central to the faith; Paul, in contrast, wanted to make Christ and His righteousness the central component.How often have you said, “All that the Lord has told me, I will do?” only to fail to follow through? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: Too numerous to mention or even admit. How does this unfortunate reality make the promise of grace so much more precious? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: The reality compounds its preciousness, heightens one’s appreciation and solidifies our confidence in the reality of hope. What hope would you have without it? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: None at all.

Wednesday December 9 The New Covenant: Part 1

Read Jeremiah 31:31-34. A New Covenant “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah –

31. A new covenant. The Israelites had failed to meet the divine requirements because they endeavored to be righteous through their own futile strivings. Recognizing this inherent human tendency, the Lord promised “a new covenant.” By this arrangement man becomes holy through faith in the Redeemer and Sanctifier (see Gal. 3; Heb. 8:8–10; see on Eze. 16:60). It was God’s desire that the returned exiles should enter heart and soul into this “new covenant” experience. But the nation failed to measure up to its opportunities (see pp. 29–32). 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 

33. Write it in their hearts. God’s law was not to be simply an external standard of righteousness. It was to be a spring of action to guide and control human conduct (see Rom. 8:1–4; 2 Cor. 3:3–6).34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

34. Shall teach no more. The failure of God’s servants in large part to instruct the people in the real knowledge of God, because of the perfunctory performance of the observances and ceremonies of the old covenant, was to be corrected by the intimate acquaintance and fellowship believers would have with their Lord through the faith stimulated by the new covenant (see John 6:45, 46; 1 Cor. 2:6–16; Col. 1:27, 28).8

What do these texts mean both in their immediate context and in ours today? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: In the immediate and present context it means that we have an opportunity to experience the blessings of this redefined agreement. It breathes hope and encouragement because the accomplishment of it is dependent on what God will do for the submissive soul who exercises living faith in Jesus. Actions and behavior will be prompted, motivated...actuated not so much by the external written law but by the same law written within the heart.

Jeremiah uttered these words amid the greatest crisis the people had yet faced: the coming Babylonian invasion, when the nation was threatened with all but certain extinction. Here again, however, as in other places, the Lord offered them hope, the promise that this was not going to be the ultimate end, and that they would have another chance to thrive in the presence of the Lord.

So, the first promise of the “new covenant” found in the Bible is in the context of Israel's eventual return from Babylonian exile and the blessing that God would grant to them upon that return. Just as the breaking of the covenant made at Sinai (Jer. 31:32) brought them into exile, so the remaking of this covenant would preserve them and their hope for the future. Like the Sinai covenant, the new covenant would be relational, and it would include the same law, the Ten Commandments, but now written not just on tablets of stone but in their minds and on their hearts, where it should have been all along.

“The same law that was engraved upon the tables of stone is written by the Holy Spirit upon the tables of the heart. Instead of going about to establish our own righteousness, we accept the righteousness of Christ. His blood atones for our sins. His obedience is accepted for us. Then the heart renewed by the Holy Spirit will bring forth 'the fruits of the Spirit.' Through the grace of Christ we shall live in obedience to the law of God written upon our hearts. Having the Spirit of Christ, we shall walk even as He walked.”-

8 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 467). Review and Herald Publishing Association.

Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets , p. 372 .Under the new covenant, their sins would be forgiven, they would know the Lord for

themselves, and they would obey God's law through the power of the Holy Spirit working in them. Old covenant in shadows and in symbols, new covenant in reality, salvation was always by faith, a faith that would reveal “the fruits of the Spirit.”

Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 370 – 373.As the Bible presents two laws, one changeless and eternal, the other provisional and temporary, so there are two covenants. The covenant of grace was first made with man in Eden, when after the Fall there was given a divine promise that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head. To all men this covenant offered pardon and the assisting grace of God for future obedience through faith in Christ. It also promised them eternal life on condition of fidelity to God's law. Thus the patriarchs received the hope of salvation.

This same covenant was renewed to Abraham in the promise, "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." Genesis 22:18. This promise pointed to Christ. So Abraham understood it (see Galatians 3:8, 16), and he trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of sins. It was this faith that was accounted unto him for righteousness. The covenant with Abraham also maintained the authority of God's law. The Lord appeared unto Abraham, and said, "I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be thou perfect." Genesis 17:1. The testimony of God concerning His faithful servant was, "Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws." Genesis 26:5. And the Lord declared to him, "I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee." Genesis 17:7.

Though this covenant was made with Adam and renewed to Abraham, it could not be ratified until the death of Christ. It had existed by the promise of God since the first intimation of redemption had been given; it had been accepted by faith; yet when ratified by Christ, it is called a new covenant. The law of God was the basis of this covenant, which was simply an arrangement for bringing men again into harmony with the divine will, placing them where they could obey God's law .

Another compact--called in Scripture the "OLD" COVENANT--was formed between God and Israel at Sinai, and was then ratified by the blood of a sacrifice. The Abrahamic covenant was ratified by the blood of Christ, and it is called the "SECOND," OR "NEW," COVENANT, because the blood by which it was sealed was shed after the blood of the first covenant. That the new covenant was valid in the days of Abraham is evident from the fact that it was then confirmed both by the promise and by the oath of God--the "two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie." Hebrews 6:18.

But if the Abrahamic covenant contained the promise of redemption, why was another covenant formed at Sinai? In their bondage the people had to a great extent lost the knowledge of God and of the principles of the Abrahamic covenant. In delivering them from Egypt, God sought to reveal to them His power and His mercy, that they might be led to love and trust Him. He brought them down to the Red Sea--where, pursued by the Egyptians, escape seemed impossible--that they might realize their utter helplessness, their need of divine aid; and then He wrought deliverance for them. Thus they were filled with love and gratitude to God and with confidence in His power to help them. He had bound them to Himself as their deliverer from temporal bondage.

But there was a still greater truth to be impressed upon their minds. Living in the midst of idolatry and corruption, they had no true conception of the holiness of God, of the exceeding sinfulness of their own hearts, their utter inability, in themselves, to render obedience to God's law, and their need of a Saviour. All this they must be taught.

God brought them to Sinai; He manifested His glory; He gave them His law, with the promise of great blessings on condition of obedience: "If ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then . . . ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation." Exodus 19:5, 6. The people did not realize the sinfulness of their own hearts, and that without Christ it was impossible for them to keep God's law; and they readily entered into covenant with God. Feeling that they were able to establish their own righteousness, they declared, "All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient." Exodus 24:7. They had witnessed the proclamation of the law in awful majesty, and had trembled with terror before the mount; and yet only a few weeks passed before they broke their covenant with God, and bowed down to worship a graven image. They could not hope for the favor of God through a covenant which they had broken; and now, seeing their sinfulness and their need of pardon, they were brought to feel their need of the Saviour revealed in the Abrahamic covenant and shadowed forth in the sacrificial offerings. Now by faith and love they were bound to God as their deliverer from the bondage of sin. Now they were prepared to appreciate the blessings of the new covenant.

The terms of the "old covenant" were, Obey and live: "If a man do, he shall even live in them" (Ezekiel 20:11; Leviticus 18:5); but "cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them." Deuteronomy 27:26. The "new covenant" was established upon "better promises"--the promise of forgiveness of sins and of the grace of God to renew the heart and bring it into harmony with the principles of God's law. "This shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts . . . . I will forgive their iniquity, and will remember their sin no more." Jeremiah 31:33, 34.

The same law that was engraved upon the tables of stone is written by the Holy Spirit upon the tables of the heart. Instead of going about to establish our own righteousness we accept the righteousness of Christ. His blood atones for our sins. His obedience is accepted for us. Then the heart renewed by the Holy Spirit will bring forth "the fruits of the Spirit." Through the grace of Christ we shall live in obedience to the law of God written upon our hearts. Having the Spirit of Christ, we shall walk even as He walked. Through the prophet He declared of Himself, "I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is within My heart." Psalm 40:8. And when among men He said, "The Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him." John 8:29.The apostle Paul clearly presents the relation between faith and the law under the new covenant. He says: "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh"--it could not justify man, because in his sinful nature he could not keep the law--"God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans 5:1, 3:31, 8:3, 4.

God's work is the same in all time, although there are different degrees of development and different manifestations of His power, to meet the wants of men in the different ages. Beginning with the first gospel promise, and coming down through the patriarchal and Jewish ages, and even to the present time, there has been a gradual unfolding of the purposes of God in the plan of redemption. The Saviour typified in the rites and ceremonies of the Jewish law is the very same that is revealed in the gospel. The clouds that enveloped His divine form have rolled back; the mists and shades have disappeared; and Jesus, the world's Redeemer, stands revealed. He who proclaimed the

law from Sinai, and delivered to Moses the precepts of the ritual law, is the same that spoke the Sermon on the Mount. The great principles of love to God, which He set forth as the foundation of the law and the prophets, are only a reiteration of what He had spoken through Moses to the Hebrew people: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." Deuteronomy 6:4, 5. "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Leviticus 19:18. The teacher is the same in both dispensations. God's claims are the same. The principles of His government are the same. For all proceed from Him "with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17.

Thursday December 10 The New Covenant: Part 2

The prophecy of Jeremiah about the new covenant contains a double application: first, it refers to Israel's return to God and His bringing them home; second, it refers to the work of Jesus the Messiah, whose death ratified the covenant and would change the relationship between humans and God. It's in the New Covenant that we get the fullest expression of the plan of salvation, which before had been revealed only in shadows and types (Heb. 10:1).Read Luke 22:20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup   is   the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” and 1 Corinthians 11:24-2624 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lords death till He comes. How do these texts link back to Jeremiah's prophecy? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: They link with Jeremiah’s prophecy in that they demonstrate the actual ratification of the new agreement that was point to in symbols and types in the OT.

The broken body of Christ and His shed blood were revealed in the Old Testament in the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb. The juice of the vine represents the blood of Jesus shed on the cross, revealed in the New Testament. The work of Jesus did not begin with the New Testament; it embraced the Old as well, and (ANSWER Continued... ) in the communion service we can see the link that unites what Jesus has done all through salvation history.

The bread and the juice, then, provide the shortest summary of that salvation history. Though they are just symbols, it is still through these symbols that we understand God's incredible work in our behalf.The Communion service points not just to Christ's death, but also to His return, without which His death would be all but meaningless. After all, what good would Christ's first coming be without the second, when we are resurrected from the grave (1 Thess. 4:16, 1 Cor. 15:12-18)? Jesus established the link when He said, “But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom” (Matt. 26:29). No question, Christ's first coming is inseparably tied to His second. The first finds its ultimate fulfillment only in the second.

Next time you partake of the communion service, think about Christ's vow not to drink of the fruit of the vine until He does so with us in the kingdom of God. How does that make you feel? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: It make me feel special. It bathes my experiences with the hope of seeing Jesus again...when

everything will be made right and I will not be separated from Jesus any more. What does that say about the closeness that Christ seeks with us? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: It says that it is a closeness that is secure and bounded by a tie that is characterized by God’s faithfulness and beneficence.

Friday December 11 Further Thought:

As we saw, the Bible teaches that the rainbow is a sign of God's covenantal promise never to destroy the earth by water again. Sure, thanks to science, we now know that a rainbow occurs when sunlight is both refracted and reflected in drops of water, dispersing the light at various angles. Light enters a raindrop at one point, is reflected off the back of that drop at another, and leaves at another, creating the colors that we see. Poet John Keats feared that science would “unweave a rainbow,” but even if we could parse, measure, predict, and quantify everything about a rainbow down to the innards of each photon and the underbelly of every quark, what would that prove other than that we understand better the natural laws God used to create the signs of this covenant promise? Science might one day be able to explain everything about how rainbows are made-even to 25 digits to the right of a decimal point-but it can never explain why they are made.

We, though, know why. Because God created our world in such a way that when sunlight and mist are in right relationships to each other, the mist breaks up the light by refracting and reflecting it at different angles that create bands of electromagnetic waves which, when reaching our eyes, imprint the image of rainbows in our minds. And He did it (the “why” that science can never explain) to remind us of His covenant promise that never again would He destroy the earth by water.

Discussion Questions:1 What are some other crucial truths, revealed by the Bible, that science can never

teach us? In fact, could you argue that the most important things we know could never be revealed by science? If so, what truths would they be?

2 In class, go over the crucial relationship between faith and works in the plan of salvation. That is, what is the role of faith, and what is the role of works, and how do they relate to the Christian experience?

3 What does it mean to say that the law is engraved on our hearts? How does this idea show the perpetuity of the law, even under the New Covenant?

Inside Story Cry of the Kalahari—Part 2

The desert sun streamed down mercilessly as the little man crept forward with his bow. From his thin, wrinkled appearance one might suppose he was in his seventies, but his body was accustomed to the scarcity of food and water, and his reflexes were lightning fast.

Steeped in the accumulated wisdom of his ancestors, he cautiously moved closer to the small herd of grazing buck. When he was close enough he fitted a poisoned arrow to his bow, aimed carefully, and let the arrow fly. It found its mark, but the buck's hide was tough and the arrow didn’t penetrate deeply. The buck looked around, then charged the Bushman, catching him on its terrible horns and tossing him until his intestines hung out of his abdomen, covered with sand and grit. After the buck left the Bushman staggered to his feet and, clutching the dirty mass to himself, headed for the only help he knew, the Adventist hospital miles away!

He was barely conscious when he reached the hospital compound. The horrified staff rushed him to the operating room, marveling at the desperate stamina that had brought him there. The surgeon prayed earnestly as he cleansed the intestines, replaced them in the abdominal cavity, and sutured the gaping wound closed. He knew that only God could heal the Bushman.

With careful nursing and much prayer he eventually recovered and returned to his family, leaving the hospital staff to wonder if he had also learned of God's love during his hospital stay.

Several months later, a little man with a horrible scar on his abdomen came to the hospital bringing

a four-foot chain of beads, painstakingly handcrafted with primitive tools, as his expression of gratitude to the doctor who had saved his life.

Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help to establish a Seventh-day Adventist primary school in Botswana. Please plan to give generously on the Thirteenth Sabbath, or anytime on our secure website: giving.adventistmission.org.___ Dr. K. Seligman is a practicing physician in Gaborone, Botswana. INSIDE STORY ENDbelow is always the same

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