Covenant: Abrahamic vs Mosaic

COVENANT:
ABRAHAMIC VERSUS MOSAIC
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ABRAHAMIC
COVENANT

OLD
COVENANT

ORIGIN OF
THE MOSAIC COVENANT

SHADOWS OF MESSIAH
IN TABERNACLE

Have you ever wondered why God gave the Law which no one could keep perfectly and by which no man could become righteous and how it related to the Abrahamic and New Covenants?

This study will begin to unfold these distinctions.

Genesis 12:1, 2, 3
To whom was this covenant promised?
Abram
(Later changed to Abraham Ge 17:5)

Who was included in the covenant?
Abram’s descendents (seed)

What did God command and also promise the 75 yo Abram in Haran (Ge 12:1, 2, 3)?

Go forth from your country & relatives to the land He would show him

Would make him a great nation

God would bless him

Would make his name great

Would make Abram a blessing

Bless those who bless you
Curse those who curse you

In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed

What did God promise Abram
at Shechem (Ge 12:7)?

Would give the land to his seed (singular noun in the original Hebrew, not "seeds")

The promises were spoke to Abram's seed - Who is his seed
according to Gal 3:16?

Christ

After Lot had separated, how long did God promise He would give the land to Abram - Ge 13:15?

Forever

What promise did God reaffirm to Abram regarding his descendants? Ge 13:16?

Abram's seed
would be like dust of earth

What additional insights are given in Ge 15:1, 2, 3, 4, 5?

In this section God restates and clarifies His promises to Abram...

Offspring would come forth from his own body -- Abram's seed would be as the stars (in number)

What was Abram’s
response Ge 15:6?

Abram believed in Jehovah and He reckoned it to him as righteousness

(Note: Abram's "salvation" occurred some 14 years prior to his circumcision [Ge 17:24 cp age in Ge 12:4] - The point is that circumcision was never meant to save anyone!)

Note: From other Scriptures we know that Jehovah = Jesus [see notes])

What did Abram actually believe according to Paul? Gal 3:8 (see comment), Gal 3:16

The Gospel

God preached the gospel in Ge 12:3 ("in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed"; Ge 22:18 adds the phrase "in your Seed" = masculine, singular ~ Christ) and in Ge 15:6 Abraham believed the gospel

Gal 3:16 teaches us that Abraham believed the promise of the seed = coming Messiah (Seed = Christ)

What conditions involved in this covenant?

None, unconditional, for God walked through the pieces of cut flesh alone

Fulfillment of the promises depended solely on God's faithfulness

What additional prophetic promises did God make in Ge 15:13, 14, 15, 16?

Descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs (Ge 15:13)

Enslaved and oppressed 400 yr (Ge 15:13)

Will come out with many possessions (Ex 3:21, 22) for God will judge the nation that they serve (Ge 15:14)

Will return in the 4th generation (one generation at that time ~100 yr) (Ge 15:16)

Explanatory Note:

The enslavement of the descendants of Abraham for 430 years (400 years) "is a thematic stitch sewing the Book of Genesis to the rest of the Pentateuch" (Believer's Study Bible)

Another explanation is that Israel was in Egypt for 430 years but the first 30 years were as a free people (while Joseph still maintained influence).

400 Years	430 Years
Ge 15:13	Ex 12:40
Acts 7:6	Ga 3:17

Virtually every commentary states that 400 represents a "rounding off" of the number 430. In fairness it should be noted that some feel that the "rounding off" interpretation allows for too much liberty in the interpretation of other numbers in Scripture and could even "do damage" to the doctrine of divine inspiration. Scripture mentions both numbers and it wise to remember Paul's exhortation to Timothy to tell others "not to wrangle about words which is useless and leads to the ruin (Greek = katastrophe) of the hearers" (2Ti 2:14-note)

What new information did God reveal to Abram at age 99 in Ge 17:5, 6?

Name changed to
Abraham

Lord told him that he would be the father of a multitude of nations, and kings would come from him

What new truth did
God reveal in Ge 17:7, 8?

I will be God to you and your seed
The land as an everlasting possession

What did God reveal
to Abram in Ge 17:21?

My covenant I will establish with

Isaac

Explanatory Note:

Note that the promise to Isaac (even before he was born) was made after the birth of Ishmael, who was not the son of promise and not the line by which the promises to Abraham would be passed. Circumcision, the sign of the covenant with Abraham was given in Genesis 17.

What do we learn about the lineage of the Abrahamic Covenant in Ge 25:23, 33,34?

Before Isaac's twin sons Esau and Jacob were born the Lord told Rebekah, Isaac's wife and their mother, that there were two nations in her womb and the older (Esau) would serve the younger (Jacob).

Esau, the natural heir as the firstborn, sold his birthright to his younger brother, Jacob

When the LORD appeared to Isaac what did He state concerning the heir of the Abrahamic covenant in Ge 26:3,4 & Ge 26:24?

The promises first given to Abraham were passed down to Isaac (the land, multiplied descendants as the stars) (Ge 26:3,4)

I am with you. I will bless you, and multiply your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham (Ge 26:24)

With whom was the covenant next confirmed -- Genesis 28:14,15?

Jacob

SEED shall also be like DUST of the earth

In your SEED shall ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED (cf Ge 12:3)

What is the implication when God calls Himself "the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac"?

He is making reference to His covenant with Abraham

What happened
to Jacob after returning to the land of Canaan after 20 years in Paddan-aram (Ge 32:28)?

Jacob wrestled with God and submitted

His name was changed
from Jacob to Israel

From Jacob, where was the
covenant passed (Ge 35:11, cf Ge 49:1, 2, 28)?

To the 12 sons of Israel who would be head of 12 tribes which in turn would comprise the nation of Israel

Explanatory

Genesis closes with Israel and his 12 sons living in Egypt. They went to Egypt under the protection of Joseph, Israel's son, to escape the famine in Canaan, the land of their inheritance under the Abrahamic Covenant.

In Egypt, they would live as free men until the Pharaoh of Joseph's time died. Then they would become slaves of the Egyptians for 400/430 years (Ge 15:13) and answer the question.

What in essence
was the Abrahamic covenant?

God's promises

1) The seed = Jesus Christ

2) The land

3) I will be your God

In short, we note that Abraham received the "Gospel" and believed in the promise of the Seed looking forward toward Cross of Christ.

Where is Israel and his 12 sons at the end of Genesis?

In Egypt to escape the famine
they were there because of Joseph

Why was Joseph in Egypt?
He had been sold into slavery and had risen to power - the sovereign working of the Lord

Joseph had devised a plan of deliverance of Egypt from the famine

What transpired when a new pharaoh who did not know Joseph (Ex 1:8-11)?

A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph and because of his fear of the Israelites appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor - these conditions lasted 430 years (Ge 15:13)

What did the children of Israel do & how did God respond in Ex 2:23, 24, 25?

They sighed (groaned, mourned) and cried out (Hebrew = cry for help in time of distress) to God Who heard their groaning and remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

What promise to Abraham did God remember (cf Ge 15:13, 14, 15, 16)?

Jehovah would judge the Egyptians who had afflicted Israel for 400 years and bring them back to Canaan in the 4th generation

What does this
demonstrate about God?

He is a covenant keeping God Who actions are based on covenant

What did God explain to Moses about His name in (Ex 6:2,3)?

The Lord stated that He had appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, El Shaddai but had not made Himself known to them as Jehovah (Click study of Jehovah)

How would God make Himself known to the sons of Israel? (Ex 6:6, 7, 8)

God would reveal Himself through His redemption and deliverance of the sons of Israel from Egyptian bondage.

Here God is clearly associating His Name Jehovah with His covenant promises to Abraham. Thus Jehovah is His precious Name that links Him irrevocably through the Abrahamic covenant with Israel. It is the Name so sacred to the Jews that they will not pronounce it in the Synagogue, instead substituting "Adonai" (Master) or simply saying "the Name".

Explanatory Note:

Since the Name "Jehovah" (Yahweh) occurs in Genesis in association with the patriarchs, how is it that He did not reveal Himself as Jehovah to them? I agree with Ryrie who states that "The name Yahweh was known to the patriarchs (Ge 13:4), but its significance as the One who would redeem Israel from Egyptian bondage was not known until this time." The subsequent events by which He would redeem the sons of Israel from bondage in Egypt would amply demonstrate Jehovah's character as the personal (there are 7 "I wills" in Ex 6:6, 7, 8), covenant-keeping God, faithful to His promises, and the Lord of history. Thus although the Name "Jehovah" had been used in Genesis the patriarchs did not grasp the mighty implications of this Name which would now take on new significance.

Now we will look specifically at the Old Covenant

In the third month after the LORD had brought the sons of Israel out of Egypt, they came to the wilderness of Sinai.

Where are the
children camped? (Ex 19:2)
At the foot of the mountain
Mount Sinai

Explanatory Note:

Note that all of the following take place at Mt Sinai - Exodus 19-40, all of Leviticus, Numbers 1-9

Who did God make this covenant with in Ex 19:3, 4? What was Moses' function?

Moses acted as the "mediator" ("go between") between Jehovah and the sons of Israel

The covenant was instituted with the house of Jacob = sons of Israel = nation of Israel

How do you know this covenant is not an extension of the Abrahamic Covenant from Ex 19:5, 6?
Abrahamic Covenant was unconditional and totally dependent on God's faithfulness.

The Old Covenant is conditional = if they obey then they could enjoy the promises was unconditional.

When did God initiate this covenant?

When Israel had been delivered from bondage in Egypt

What does God promise to Israel if they obey? Ex 19:5, 6?

(1) my own possession
(2) kingdom of priests,
(3) holy nation

What was Israel's response to God? What is Moses' role? Ex 19:8

Moses = the mediator
We will do ALL

What was Jehovah's command to the children regarding their relationship to the Canaanites? (Ex 23:32, 33)

Make no covenant with them or their gods (if they served their gods it would be a snare)
Do not even let them live in the land (they might make Israel sin against God)

How is the Old Covenant

ratified in Ex 24:3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8?

1). Moses recounted the law

2). People say "We will obey"

3) Built altar, 12 pillars, sacrificed

4) Read the recorded words from the book of the covenant

5) Again they said "We will obey"

6) Moses sprinkled blood on the book and on the people

7) Covenant meal

8) Went up

What did God write the 10 commandments on? Exodus 24:12

tablets of stone

What was the appearance
of God on Mt Sinai like? (Ex 24:17)

A consuming fire

What happened when the sons of Israel perceived that Moses had delayed returning from Mt Sinai? (Ex 32:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

The children of Israel made a golden calf and began to worship it

What did Moses do with the Tablets of Stone when he returned from Mt Sinai and discovered the idolatry? (Ex 32:19, 20)

Moses broke the tablets

What did Moses do in (Ex 34:1,2)?

Exodus 34 returns to the mountain so God could write His laws upon tables of stone

How would you summarize the interaction of the sons of Israel with the Old Covenant?

They broke the Old Covenant
soon after swearing they would obey

The Old Covenant centered around the Tabernacle=the tabernacle was an integral part of the Old Covenant.

What instructions does God give that he is to give to the sons of Israel? (Ex 25:2, 8, 9)
The people were to make a contribution and construct a Sanctuary ("holy thing") for God that He might dwell among them

Explanatory Note:

"Dwell" is the Hebrew word shakan which means to settle down and from which the rabbis derived the Shekinah which means literally “that which dwells” and which was used in Jewish writings to describe the "glory cloud" that centered upon the mercy-seat symbolizing the presence of God among His people. See study on The Glory of the LORD which follows the "Shekinah" glory cloud in Israel's history.

What was the purpose of the Tabernacle, in the old covenant? (Ex 25:22)

A place of where God would meet with man (Moses in context)

Click Tabernacle Diagram

What were the main divisions?
Outer Court, the Holy place, and the Holy of holies

What took place in the outer courtyard?
The children of Israel could enter the outer court where the sacrifices were performed on the brazen altar

Who entered the Holy place? how often?
Priest entered daily

Who entered the Holy of holies?
High priest only once per year on the Day of Atonement

Let's look at how the tabernacle is a picture or shadow of Jesus Christ

How many ways were there into the Tabernacle, the Holy place and the Holy of holies?

Only entrance
One way
Door always faced east

How does this truth foreshadow
Jesus in (Jn 10:9, 14:6)?

Jesus declared

"I am the way, the truth, the life and no one comes to the Father but through Me.

"I am the door; if anyone enters through me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

What is the first article of furniture?
Altar of bronze with 4 horns

The place where SACRIFICE of the lamb (or other animal) took place in order to bring about reconciliation for sin and facilitate consecration

How does this picture
Jesus Christ? (Jn 1:29)

Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world

It speaks of the reconciliation one can have through the blood of the eternal covenant in Jesus Christ (see the discussion below re "Mercy Seat")

Just as the priests could not come before the LORD without a sacrifice, we too must receive by faith the once for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

What is the next article in the outer courtyard?
Laver - priests would wash daily before entering Holy place

Explanatory Note:

The laver was made of bronze a symbol of judgment. They could not enter the Holy place without washing.

How are we made
clean today? (Jn 15:3, Eph 5:26)

Jesus is the Word and we are cleansed through Him

Cleansed through the washing of the water with the Word

What was on the right (north) side of the Holy place?
Table of Showbread

Explanatory Note:

The table held 12 loaves for the 12 tribes of Israel. The bread was to be eaten by the priests on the Sabbath and then replaced with fresh bread

By what metaphor did Jesus describe Himself in (Jn 6:48, 51)?

The Bread of life - Living Bread
(Using the language of covenant)

Explanatory Note:

The table of showbread, made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold, was to the right (north) as one entered the Holy place. The table is estimated to have been 3 feet long, 1/2 foot wide and about 21/2 feet off the ground.

On it were twelve loaves of bread representing God's covenant people, Israel. Every Sabbath these were eaten by the priests and fresh bread placed upon the table

What article set opposite (south) the Table of Showbread? How did it foreshadow the description of Jesus in (Jn 1:4, 8:12)?

Seven branched candlestick

Jesus is the Light of the world
(cf what believers are to be Mt 5:14, 15, 16)

Explanatory Note:

The candlestick was made of pure gold. It burned olive oil night and day, serving as the only light in the tabernacle

What is the article of furniture in front of the Veil (see explanatory note below)?
What did it symbolize and how did it foreshadow Jesus' work in (Heb 7:25, cf Ro 8:34)?

Altar of Incense was to burn perpetually and symbolized prayer

In the true Tabernacle in Heaven, Jesus ever lives to continually (present tense) make intercession

Explanatory Note:

The altar of incense, made of acacia wood and gold, was either in the Holy place (Ex 30:6 ; Ex 40:26), or in the Holy of holies (Heb 9:3,4). It was 3 feet high and stood higher than the table of showbread and the ark of the covenant. Incense was to burn perpetually

What separated the Holy place from the Holy of holies? What is the NT parallel with Jesus in (Heb 10:19, 20, 21,22, Mt 27:50,51)?
The Veil = the only entrance into the Holy of holies, which symbolized the Throne of God
(See notes Heb 10:19, 20; 21; 22)

Jesus is the rent veil, His torn flesh giving us access to God so that now believers may boldly approach the Throne of Grace (Heb 4:16-note)

Explanatory Note:

The Veil, made of blue, purple, and scarlet fine and twined linen, separated the Holy place from the Holy of holies. No priest could enter except through the veil; it was the only way to approach the ark of the covenant.

What was in the Holy of holies?
Ark of the Covenant covered by the Mercy Seat

"Mercy" covered the Old Covenant of the law!

What transpired at the mercy seat?
The high priest met with God once each year placing blood on the Mercy Seat to cover the sins of Israel

What transpired at the mercy seat?
The high priest placed blood on the Mercy Seat once each year "covering" the sins of Israel

What does the Mercy Seat foreshadow according to (Ro 3:25-note)?

The Mercy Seat was a picture of the propitiation of God's anger. Jesus took the punishment for our sins and in so doing satisfied (propitiated) God's anger against sinners who place their faith in Him. Believers are in essence "covered by the blood of Christ" and can now meet with God at His Throne any time, any day in contrast to the Jewish high priest who could only go into God's presence once per year on the Day of Atonement

Given that the Mercy Seat was where God met man and over which the Shekinah glory cloud dwelt, how was this picture a shadow of Jesus? (see John 1:14)

John beheld Jesus' glory, the Word made flesh as He "tabernacled" among men

Who did the high priest meet at the Mercy Seat? (see Jn 8:58, 10:30)

Jehovah Who was also Jesus because He was the "I Am" and He and His Father are One.

Explanatory Note:

The ark of the covenant, made of acacia wood covered with gold, occupied the Holy of holies. This box was 2 feet wide, 3 feet 9 inches long, and 2 feet high. On top of the ark was a lid called the Mercy Seat. Hovering above the Mercy Seat were two cherubim, with outstretched wings. The ark contained the tables of stone, a pot of manna, and Aaron's rod that budded. There we meet Jesus, God incarnate, Who, before Abraham was born, was the I AM, one with the Father.

In Ex 33:9 we read that "whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud ("Shekinah Glory Cloud") would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and the LORD would speak with Moses."

REVIEW

Abrahamic = promise of the Seed = the coming Messiah, the land, the nation (Israel), unconditional, forever

Old = conditional, tabernacle place where God dwelt, picture of Jesus

Where is the promise of the new covenant in the Old Testament?
God promised the New Covenant in Jeremiah'

What happened to the old covenant when the new covenant was inaugurated by Jesus?

Old became obsolete