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Abraham was a man God could work with. He had a heart for God and after Abraham showed that he would put faith in God, God made a covenant with him. We can see the terms of this covenant in Genesis chapter 15, and you will note that it's an unconditional covenant. It is not dependent on Abraham's performance of any conditions! All the blessings for Abraham's progeny and for territory are guaranteed as gifts from God. Gen 15:18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates... And the covenant was repeated and expanded in detail in Gen 17:4-8. Gen 17:4-8 As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God. Now God established this covenant with Abraham because Abraham put faith in god. We are told in Rom 4:9 that Abraham exercised faith and it was accounted to him as righteousness. It wasn't his obedience that was counted as righteousness, it was his faith. Abraham's obedience grew out of his faith (trust) in God. That is why Abraham is known as the father of the faithful rather than the father of the obedient. It is through "faith" that we have access to the "grace" by which we are empowered to be obedient.Rom 5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we also have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice on the hope of the glory of God. [You see Paul pointing out in the book of Romans that it's grace that enables us to 'stand'; to do the right thing; to be obedient. This is using grace in it's fuller meaning of 'Jesus Christ in us through the Holy Spirit and the result of that in our lives'.] Later on the covenant is repeated for the benefit of Abraham's son Isaac and at a later date for his son Jacob. Always it is unconditional. It a matter of God's grace to the descendants of Abraham. Even Esau and his descendents were blessed, though the birthright blessings passed to Jacob because Esau did not value them. And after Jacob the blessings of the covenant naturally pass onto Jacob's children (Israel). There came a time after the children of Israel settled in Egypt that they were oppressed by a new Pharaoh and God heard their cries. We can pick up the story of what happened next in Exo 2:23-25Exo 2:23-25 After a long time passed, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites still groaned because they were slaves. So they cried out, and their cries for help went up to God. God heard their groaning, and he remembered his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the Israelites being oppressed and was concerned about them. So we see that God remembered his promise to Abraham in the Covenant of Grace that he made with Abraham and he determines that he will rescue the Children of Israel. So he contacts Moses and sends him to be the instrument by which he will set the Israelites free. In all this God is acting under the Covenant of Grace he made with Abraham. The promises made to Abraham by God were not conditional on his actions or works. They were unconditional and relied only on God's grace. Abraham had faith in God and it was counted to him as righteousness. And, because of this God made those unconditional promises in a covenant with Abraham. You can see what it means to be under God's covenant of grace by looking at how he treated the nation of Israel when they came out of Egypt. God extricated them from under the heavy hand of Pharaoh with a series of miracles. He turned the Nile to blood. He brought forth frogs from all around the people. He turned dust into gnats to bite the Egyptians. Miracle after miracle until Pharaoh finally let the Israelites go when all the first-born of the Egyptians and their animals were killed on that first Passover. After the first three miracles God differentiated the people of Israel from the people of Egypt and the plagues only affected the Egyptians. So Israel saw God's power in action. They saw that he was mightier than the Gods of Egypt. They saw that their God was THE GOD. But when they got to the Red Sea and Pharaoh chased after them, what did they say?Exo 14:11-12 They said to Moses, "Did you bring us out into the desert to die because there were no graves in Egypt? Look what you've done by bringing us out of Egypt! Didn't we tell you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone! Let us go on serving the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness!" So soon and they are moaning and murmuring and have lost any faith they had in God. If their mothers had told them stories about the faith of their forefathers those are long dimmed memories! But God does not react against them. He simply blesses them with salvation by taking them through the sea on dry land and then wiping out the Egyptian army behind them in the returning water. God gives them another demonstration of why they should trust Him and build faith like their father Abraham.Exo 14:30-31 That day the LORD saved Israel from the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore. When the Israelites saw the great power the LORD had used against the Egyptians, they feared the LORD and believed in Him and in his servant Moses. If only it would last! God led them away from the Red Sea and took them on a journey that lasted three days. During this time they did not find fresh water. How did they react?Exo 15:22-24 Moses led Israel away from the Red Sea into the desert of Shur. For three days they travelled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they couldn't drink the water because it tasted bitter. That's why the place was called Marah [Bitter Place]. The people complained about Moses by asking, "What are we supposed to drink?" There is a problem because the first spring found is bitter, but the people don't ask God for help. They complain! But what does God do. Exo 15:25-27 Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD set down laws and rules for them to live by, and there he tested them. He said, "If you will listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what he considers right, if you pay attention to his commands and obey all his statutes, I will never make you suffer any of the diseases I made the Egyptians suffer, because I am the LORD, who heals you." And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters. Once more the people have complained rather that 'trust' but God does not take umbrage. He helps them and solves the problem and gives them sweet water to drink. He tells them they must follow his commands but does not punish them for their murmuring against Him and breeding dissent and rebellion. A month and a half goes by from the time they left Egypt and what do we find?Exo 16:2 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness: and the children of Israel said unto them, Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger. More murmuring and complaining and a rebellious spirit. Now they fantasize that they sat by fleshpots and had a surfeit of bread to eat while in Egypt and say that it would have been better to have died there! But how does God react THIS time when the whole of Israel turns against Him? Exo 16:4-5 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my statute, or no. And it shall come to pass on the sixth day, that they shall prepare that which they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. Exo 16:12-15 I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel; Speak to them, saying, At evening ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God. And it came to pass, that at evening the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay around the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground: And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they knew not what it was. And Moses said to them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. Once again all we see is God's goodness. God did not condemn or punish them. He simply blesses them once more; this time with manna from heaven for bread and quails dropping from the sky for meat to eat. Even when some people went out to gather manna on the Rest day when God specifically told them there would not be any, God simply reprimanded them verbally through Moses the leader and told them not to do that again! Exo 16:27-29 And it came to pass, that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, and they found none. And the LORD said to Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days: abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. Time moves on and the people of Israel move on through the wilderness and they come to Rephidim. Unfortunately there's no water there. Once again the children of Israel have an attitude problem, rebel and throw a big temper tantrum. They've forgotten God's goodness and the miracles he performed for them and instead spread the idea that God brought them out to kill them! Exo 17:1-3 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, by their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. Wherefore the people strove with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why strive ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD? And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? Despite the miracles in Egypt and the miracles since Egypt the people have not had eyes to see the goodness of god and have not grown in faith. God's goodness and mercy have gone over their heads. They've been taken for granted. Notwithstanding this, God continues to bless them because of the covenant of grace he made with Abraham that he would expand his descendants into nations. Now they are living under his care and God provides water for them by reason of another miracle. Throughout all this God attributes no condemnation to the Children of Israel and gives no punishment for their new rebellion. Exo 17:4-6 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? They be almost ready to stone me. And the LORD said unto Moses, Pass on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou struck the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and you shall smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
Look at
the situation in which the Children of Israel find themselves. They are
being continually blessed. They are continually being shown God's love
for them. They are constantly being shown that they should put faith
in God, and that his heart is only for their good. They have God in the
pillar of cloud close to them by day and as a pillar of fire at night
to protect them. They are constant beneficiaries of the miracles he
performs on their behalf and yet while all this is happening the
people do not build any appreciation for God and his goodness.
Now let's look at "Life Under Law". As they travel on they get to Mount Sinai and God sets out to make a covenant with Israel like he made with their ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and he tells Moses what to say to the children of Israel. Exo 19:3-6 And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me from among all peoples: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. Now bear in mind that the Children of Israel have not so far kept any of God's statutes, simple though they were, faithfully or ceased to murmur and moan against Him. They consider that they were better off in Egypt and maybe God has brought them out of Egypt to kill them in the wilderness! This is how they have consistently thought. So what is their response to God's offer? Exo 19:7-8 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the LORD commanded him. And all the people answered together, and said, “All that the LORD hath spoken we will do”. And Moses reported the words of the people unto the LORD. They boast that “All that the Lord has spoken, we will do!” We know from Heb 11:6 that “Without faith it's impossible to please God”. So have the Israelites been displaying faith in God? Based on their actions so far should they boast that they can do whatever God commands? How does God respond to their boasting?
Exo 19:9-13 And the
LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the
people may hear when I speak with thee, and may also believe thee for
ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD. And the
LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and
tomorrow, and let them wash their garments, and be ready against the
third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of
all the people upon mount Sinai.
God puts them on a new footing in relation to Himself! Now they are to be fenced off from Him. Since they rely on their own righteousness which are like dirty rags to God, they have separated themselves from Him. He is holy and they cannot approach Him. There were no boundaries before but now God sets boundaries. And these boundaries cannot be crossed on pain of death. Before God would speak to them through Moses in a soft voice. Now when he speaks there is thunder and lightning and the exceedingly loud voice of a trumpet and the people in the camp tremble. Before, there was no restriction on approaching God in the cloud or in the pillar of fire but now God says that if they break through to gaze on Him many will perish. And with this new regime in place God makes a covenant with the Children based on their boast. If they obey as they claim they can then they will be blessed. If they don't they will be cursed even having the iniquity of the fathers visited on the third and fourth generations! God promised to show mercy to the thousandth generation of those who kept his commands in the covenant, but we know from Rom 3:10 that with regard to the Law Covenant the Israelites brought on themselves “There is none who is righteous, no, not one!” The only person who ever lived a life worthy of receiving and passing on that blessing was Jesus the Christ! So God set out the laws of the Covenant he was now making with Israel. The main laws are set out from Chapter 20 to Chapter 24 in the book of Exodus; and the Children of Israel responded - “All that the Lord has said we will do and be obedient”. This Law Covenant is totally new and is something that their forefathers knew nothing about. Deu 5:2-3 Jehovah our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. Jehovah did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, all of us here, alive today. Just so we'd realise that the ten commandments and whatever laws follow were specific to this covenant, God inspires Moses to write this fact down specifically - twice! Exo 34:27-28 And Jehovah said to Moses, 'Write these words; for on the basis of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel'. And he (Moses) was there with Jehovah forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread, nor drank water. And He wrote upon the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. Deu 4:12-13 And Jehovah spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the voice of the words, but saw no likeness, only a voice. And He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, ten commandments. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone. We know for a certainty from this that the Law Covenant was based on ten commandment and specifically the ones written on those two tablets of stone. To go with this new Law Covenant system God then gave the Israelite a whole new set of commands to do with religious forms, sacrifices and rites that would be expected of the people and their priesthood under this covenant. They did not have these burdens before their boast either! Under Law things have changed! Now while Moses is in Mount Sinai getting all God's new instructions the people decide to make a God of gold in the form of a bull to worship and we see a change of reaction in God to their rebellion compared to his previous attitude. Since the people are under Law and one of the laws they agreed to obey was that they would not worship other Gods, justice demands that they be killed. God therefore tells Moses that he is going to do that very thing. Exo 32:9-10 And the LORD said to Moses, I have seen this people, and behold it is a stiff-necked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. But Moses intercedes for the people and God relents and is merciful. But while God does not kill all of Israel, three thousand people die by the sword that day. Exo 32:26-28 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD'S side? let him come to me. And all the sons of Levi assembled themselves to him. And he said to them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. As the apostle Paul pointed out - "The Law give strength/power to sin and kills!" Rom 7:7-8 Shall we say, then, that the Law itself is sinful? Of course not! But it was the Law that made me know what sin is. If the Law had not said, "Do not desire what belongs to someone else," I would not have known such a desire. But by means of that commandment sin found its chance to stir up all kinds of selfish desires in me. Apart from law, sin is a dead thing. We can see how this worked itself out in the case of the Children of Israel. In all the time from leaving Egypt to getting to Sinai they had not thought of worshipping anyone else but Jehovah. Then they boast that they can keep any commands that God gives them. They receive the Law Covenant, whose first commandment is "You shall have no other god's but me", and immediately there is a perceived problem what do they do? They get another god to worship! Time moves on and the people get to the borders of the land God has promised to them. Twelve people are sent to reconnoitre the land but when they returned only Joshua and Caleb give a positive report and placed trust in the Lord. When the people decided to believe the spies who brought a negative report regarding the land of Canaan rather that Joshua and Caleb, and they murmured against God and put no trust in Him, notice God's response in Num_14:11-12 … Num 14:11 And Jehovah said to Moses, How long will this people provoke Me? And how long will it be before they believe Me, for all the signs which I have shown among them? I will strike them with the pestilence and will disinherit them, and will make of you a greater nation and mightier than they. Again God responds based on the new Law Covenant he has made with them and is prepared to destroy them; this time with pestilence. This new regime is totally different to when they were living under the Abrahamic covenant of grace. Then they experienced the same goodness and mercy as Abraham did. God expected them to learn what was right and set their minds to do what was right and to grow in faith but he did not condemn them while they were in training under the hand of grace. When Abraham made errors and put his wife in moral harms way, for instance, with a king because he (Abraham) was fearful for his life, God rescued Sarah and put fear in the heart and mind of the king. He even required that the king would not have a blessing on his household unless Abraham prayed for him!
This was the kind of
undeserved kindness and protection that the Israelites enjoyed before their
boasting caused them to be given the Law Covenant. But, they despised the
goodness of God under the covenant of grace. God was giving them every
opportunity to grow in faith and enjoy his undeserved favour but they
did not appreciate it. So as a result they lived under a lesser covenant
because of their self-righteousness and the hardness of their hearts.
Num 15:32-36 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.
They now lived by the Law Covenant, and the Law is not of faith. Rather
the Law condemns and the Law kills. It's noteable also, that when they
found him, the children of Israel did not consider that the man should
be given a caution and sent back home based on how God had treated
them before. As with the Pharisees in Jesus's time, mercy was not a
strong point in their thinking. They brought him to the courts for
justice! And the law condemns!
2Co 3:5-9 By ourselves we are not qualified to claim that anything comes from us. Rather, our credentials come from God, who has also qualified us to be ministers of a new covenant, which is not written but spiritual, because the written text brings death, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry of death that was inscribed in letters of stone came with such glory that the people of Israel could not gaze on Moses' face (because the glory was fading away from it), will not the Spirit's ministry have even more glory? For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, then the ministry of justification has an overwhelming glory. We see here the point of the Old Covenent Law. It was to show people that they could not live to God's standards and the result of not meeting the standard was "death"!. It was a ministry of death. It was a ministry of condemnation. It cannot be compared with the new and living way of the new covenant. The law has a use, but it's not for righteous men; it's not for Christians! It's to show ungodly men that they need a saviour. 1Ti 1:8-10 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; So the law is not for Christians who live by sound doctrine! As it says in Psalm 95: verses 7-8 … Psa 95:7 For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your heart, as in the day of strife, as in the day of testing in the wilderness; when your fathers tempted Me, tested Me, and saw My work. The Law can only accept perfection; Grace accepts us as we are and teaches us to give up unrighteous things and become righteous through faith. We can see this difference contrasted in the book of Ruth. This book tells part of the life history of Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth. Naomi travelled to Moab with her husband and two sons in hope of a better life. While she is there though, her husband and both of her sons died. Her sons had married Moabite women and when Naomi decided to go back to her homeland in Israel one of her daughters-in-law refused to stay in Moab but clung to Naomi and the God of Israel. Naomi thought that her life was now bitter but God had a plan to redeem her life and that of Ruth. A kinsman named Boaz was impressed by the faith of Ruth and decided to look after her and finding that she was attracted to him, he determines to redeem her for his wife. What Ruth did not realise was that another kinsman had a prior claim to redeem her. As Boaz knew this he met with the other kinsman and asked him if he was willing to redeem the land of Naomi. It turned out that he was quite willing to pay for the land. Then Boaz told him that when he bought the land he was also redeeming Ruth the Moabitess and would have to marry her and bring up children by her. At this the kinsman baulked! He wanted to leave a perfect heritage. To redeem Ruth an marry a Moabite would spoil his own lineage. With this he offered Boaz the right to redeem Ruth.The path was clear for Boaz to redeem the land belonging to Naomi and take Ruth as his wife. And Ruth was the grand-mother of David. Rth 4:3-6 Then he said to the redeemer, "Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. So I thought I would tell you of it and say, 'Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.' If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you." And he said, "I will redeem it." Then Boaz said, "The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance." Then the redeemer said, "I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it." The ultimate kinsman redeemer of course is Jesus who paid with his life so that we all could be redeemed. Boaz is representative of Jesus and his role in our salvation. Ruth is representative of us individually and of the church as a whole, coming to Jesus through faith. So Jesus and his covenant of grace stands as Boaz, able and willing to redeem us though we are imperfect. There was another who had a prior claim on us but Moses and his covenant cannot redeem us unless we are perfect; and there is none who is righteous - no not one! As we are imperfect the Law Covenant can only pass judgement and leave us to our fate. To accept imperfection would be to "break" the law! But we have a redeemer; Jesus Christ our Lord. God wants us to listen to His voice, believe Him and believe in Him. God wants us to put our trust in Him and see His hand in our life for good. God wants us to exercise the measure of faith that He has put in us, by speaking in love and casting out fear and building up our trust in Him. Like Abraham we live by faith and like him, in our case also - there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Rom 8:1-2 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. As it's put in another place... Mic 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly {live righteously; by faith}, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Let's not boastfully say we can keep God's Law or tell others that
they must keep the Law when "None is righteous, no not one!" That is not
of faith. Rather let us accept God's grace and allow the Holy Spirit to
lead us, guide us and bring us to the maturity and stature of Jesus
Christ; fully resting in the righteousness of Jesus, not in our own
works.
Gal 3:29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. It's the promise of Abraham that we are heirs of, not the promise of Moses. Mat 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Rom 14:17-18 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is well-pleasing to God, and approved by men. As it says, seek righteousness. Not your own but God's righteousness. Like your father Abraham, build faith in God and grow in grace. Your faith will be counted as righteousness. You wil be clothed in Jesus' righteousness. Live by the spirit and you will be well pleasing to God! Heb 8:13 In speaking of a new covenant, He makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
Christians today do not live by a law code (it's obsolete for us) but
by grace through faith, just like our spiritual father Abraham. We have
the Holy Spirit in us and grace teaches us to say "NO" to all ungodly
things; as it says in Paul's letter to Titus (Tit 2:11-12).
What do you mean - Grace?
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