Covenant Series: Davidic Covenant

After the Mosaic Covenant, approximately 400 years pass before the Davidic Covenant. It is estimated that Moses led the people out of Egypt around 1400 BC, and David became king in about 1010 BC. This “in between time” is fraught with disobedience, bad leadership and the people forgetting what exactly it was that they agreed to in Exodus 19.

To summarize this time, the Israelites arrived outside the Promised Land and Moses sent twelve spies (on from each tribe) to spy out the land. They returned and ten of the spies told of the might and power of the people living in the land and that it would be impossible to conquer it. The other two, Caleb and Joshua, believed that they could conquer the land with God’s help, but the faithless ten spies turned the hearts of the people. The people grumbled and wished that they had just died in Egypt (Numbers 13-14). The consequences for their faithlessness and disobedience were that this generation would die in the wilderness and their children would be raised up to take possession of the land. Thus, the Israelites wander in the desert for forty years, until even Moses died, and Joshua, one of the faithful spies took over the leadership of the people (Numbers 27:15-23). Before Moses died, however, he reminded the new generation of the covenant they were under. Hence, we get the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is a summary of the Mosaic Law and covenant for the new generation. Moses is telling the people of what the previous generation did, and warning them not to follow in their footsteps. He tells them of the many blessings of entering the land and remaining faithful to God, but also of the curses if they turn from the God who has provided for them for the last forty years.

So Joshua took command of the people, and they entered the land to drive out the Canaanites and live in it. The Conquest seemed to go well at first, but then, once again, disobedience entered their midst. The result is that the people of Israel never quite conquered the land to the boundaries God told of because many of the Canaanites still existed in the Land (Exodus 23:20-33). In fact the Israelite nation will be expanded to its greatest size under Kings David and Solomon, but even then it does not quite reach all the boundaries God set forth for them. After Joshua and all the other leaders and people who came through the conquest died, the next generation grew up not knowing God or of His mighty deeds. They began to serve foreign gods and do evil the sight of the Lord. Thus, began the cycle of the Judges. Israel would do evil, so God would give them over to a foreign power to oppress them. Israel would repent and cry out to God, and God would raise up a Judge to lead the people in war and free them. Things would go well until that Judge died, and the people would fall into sin and disobedience again, and the cycle would repeat itself. This goes on until Samuel is the Judge and priest over Israel and the people declare their need for a king to lead them into battle.  Thus Samuel is put to the task of finding and anointing Saul, and then later finding and anointing David.

Interestingly enough, Moses had given instructions to the people for how to choose a King in Deuteronomy 17:14-20. These are the verses which define who the king was to be and how he was to act. First, the king they chose would be God’s choice for a king. Second, the king was not to be a foreigner, he was to be one of the Israelites. Third, the king was not to amass horses, go to Egypt to get horses, have more than one wife, or try to acquire large amounts of gold or silver for himself personally. Fourth, the king was to copy out the entire law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests, and then read and study it as long as he lived so that he could truly fear the Lord and know the will and law of the Lord. The first two criteria make lots of sense. The Israelites were to be a holy nation and kingdom of priests, so obviously a foreigner couldn’t rule them, and if they were truly living righteously, then they would be following God’s lead in finding their leadership. The third criterion was actually a sign of wealth and power of kings in the Ancient Near East. Great kings showed their wealth by the large number of fine horses they owned, the number of beautiful wives and concubines, and by displaying their wealth of gold and silver. By stating that the king was not to act as other neighboring kings, God is protecting the king and the people from slipping into disobedience. He is keeping them set apart for Him. The fourth criterion was mentioned to ensure that the king would truly be a man who could wisely lead the people because he knew God’s word as well as the priests and scribes. What God requires of a King is someone who will be the poster-child Israelite. Someone who will demonstrate what true faith and obedience looks like to the wayward Israelites.

So now we come to David. Saul was removed from the throne by God Himself because he was not intent on doing the will of God or depending on God. Saul was more concerned about the opinions of the people than the opinion of God. David, on the other hand, proves that he is worried about God’s glory alone. Now if you read through 1 and 2 Samuel, you will see that David had his own failings. You will see that he didn’t really keep to the four criteria of the king described above. But you will also see his repentant heart as he makes mistakes, and that he is truly concerned about living under God’s will. David was correctable, malleable and humble. Therefore, David gets the covenant.

The Davidic Covenant is found in 2 Samuel 7:4-17. David had it in his mind to build a temple of the Ark of the Covenant, and God tells Nathan to speak to David regarding this:

Would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling.  In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” Now, therefore, thus you (Nathan) shall say to my servant David, “Thus says the Lord of Hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the son s of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.

Do you hear the echoes of the other covenants in there? God is the one doing the hard work. God took David from the pasture to the throne, just as God took Israel from the house of slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land as a Kingdom of Priests (Mosaic). God has cut off their enemies (Abrahamic & Mosaic). God will make David’s name great (Abrahamic), and will give the people of Israel a permanent dwelling place (Abrahamic & Mosaic). The promises of this covenant are that David’s name will be great, the Israelites will have rest from war, after David dies, one of his descendants will sit on the throne and build a temple for the Ark of the Covenant and finally, God is giving David the privilege of an everlasting kingdom. David’s descendants will always sit on the throne of Israel, and David will always be recognized as a true king before God. David simply had to keep doing what he was doing, being faithful to God and willing to learn.

Much of what David is promised is ultimately accomplished at least in the short term. David’s name is indeed made great. King David is one of the most recognizable individuals in the Bible, and archeological evidence supports the Bible’s claim that his kingship was indeed a profitable and great one. The Kingdom did enter a time of peace and prosperity under David’s rule and much more under his son, Solomon’s rule. Solomon built a magnificent temple for the Ark of the Covenant, and as long as the United Kingdom of Israel and the Divided Kingdom of Judah stood, one of David’s descendants ruled upon the throne. In the long run though, after Solomon, the divided kingdoms fell back into warfare and strife, the temple was destroyed (and eventually rebuilt), and the Kingdom of Judah fell and a Davidic descendant has not ruled the Jews since. What we see in this is that truly the covenant was not just made with David, but with his descendants as well. The David Covenant was binding on David’s family for all time. When David’s descendants failed to be faithful and obedient, the blessings of the covenant were taken from them and from the people of God.

But God’s promises endure. One day, there will again be a temple which houses the throne of God, and one of David’s descendants will be the King who will rule over the people of God. Jesus Christ is David’s descendant as depicted in the genealogies in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He was born to be King of the Jews (Matthew 2:2), but also, King of the Gentiles (Isaiah 11:10, Romans 15:13). Jesus’ authority and kingship will recognized by all when he returns to the earth in power and glory to reign (Matt 26:64, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10, Revelations 19:11-16.)

So what does the David Covenant hold for us today? The hope of a heavenly king who will rule with justice and grace. But also, we can learn from the Davidic Covenant that God is looking for men and women who are after His own heart, who are malleable, correctable, and humble. Who do not just do things for Him so they will be rewarded – as Saul did – but who are genuinely concerned with living their lives according to His will because it is holy and right to do so. Jesus reaffirmed this message in the gospel stories as he encourages the Jews to do what was right in God’s eyes, rather than what the Pharisees thought was right. Ultimately, at the heart of all the Covenants, is the need for obedience and faithfulness to God. And all this culminates in the final New Covenant.

Covenant Series: Mosaic Covenant

Sorry its been a while since I posted anything! I actually had this article written a while ago, I have just been trying to find time to edit and review it! I should have the Davidic Covenant up by the end of the week! Enjoy!

After Abraham and Isaac die, the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob is told. Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers where he eventually, with God’s help, becomes the highest ranking official in all Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. Through his God given wisdom, he interprets Pharaoh’s dreams which foretell of seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Once the famine years begin, Joseph’s brothers make their way to Egypt to buy grain. After the brothers are reunited, Pharaoh graciously gives to the family of Jacob some land for them to dwell in. Fast forward 400 years, and the descendants of Abraham have grown to be quite numerous. A new Pharaoh who doesn’t know anything about the previous Pharaoh or Joseph enslaves the Israelites in order to control them. The years go on and the oppression of their Egyptian overlords becomes too heavy to bear, so the people cry out to God. And God hears them.

The making of this Covenant begins in Exodus 6:1-8. This is where God calls Moses to be his spokes person and to deliver a message to the Israelites. God says that he will redeem them, free them from the Egyptians, and take them to be His own people and will bring them into the land which he swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In Exodus 15:25-26, after the Israelites are delivered from the Egyptians and have crossed the Red Sea, they travel into the desert where God makes a law for them stating, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commands and keep all his statues, I will not put upon you the diseases that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”

After this God provides manna for the people to eat on a daily basis. He also institutes the Sabbath as a holy day to the Lord. Exodus 16:23-30 describes the first Sabbath and how many people did not listen to God when he told them to gather enough on the sixth day for the seventh. Those who went out to gather on the seventh day found nothing. From this point forward the seventh day was always taken as a day of rest. After this, the Israelites successfully defeat the Amalekites who attacked them, and Moses receives a visit from his father in law, Jethro, who gives him sound advice for how to mediate and govern the Israelities.  Finally, In Exodus 19, the Israelites arrive at the base of Mount Sinai.

Moses goes up the mountain to meet with God and God gives him the basis of what is known as the Mosaic Covenant:

Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall by my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.

The initial premise of the covenant, then, is that the people are to be faithful and obedient to God. In return, God will sanctify them and make them holy. Notice, God does everything; the people have nothing to prove their worth. All the people have to do, is be obedient and faithful to Him only. Moses returns to the people and gathers the elders to tell them of the covenant. The people then respond in Exodus 19:8, “All that the Lord has spoken, we will do.” Thus, the covenant is made.

What continues in the rest of Exodus, Leviticus, and parts of Numbers is the Mosaic Law, which is the details concerning what faithfulness and obedience to God looks like. In essence, the people of God are a holy nation and a kingdom of priests, but they need to know how to live as a holy nation and kingdom of priests. The Law was never meant to be a way to get redeemed or saved, rather it is the effect of the redemption they already possess. They are already redeemed, so Go is not making them into a holy nation and teaching them how to live redeemed lives. What God sets up in the Mosaic Law is a new worldview and social culture which the people are to adhere to. God is making them stand out as different from all the surrounding nations. The Law created an alternative community that was completely different from the power struggles of the Egyptian Empire, the greed of the Canaanite city states, the paganism of the small kingdoms of Edom, Moab, and Ammon, and the military prowess of the Philistine ruling classes. God set the Mosaic Law before the people to keep them holy and pure, and to keep their existence in the proper perspective.

It is the Mosaic Law that is fiercely attacked in the New Testament, not the Mosaic Covenant. In fact, if anything, the Mosaic Covenant is reaffirmed! Christ repeatedly calls the Jews to be faithful to God. Exodus 19:1-6 emphasizes the fact that faithfulness and obedience is what makes us children of God. In John 10:1-16, Jesus calls himself the “good shepherd”. Moreover, he says that his sheep know his voice, and listen to his voice. Thus as Mosaic Covenant states, the people don’t just hear the voice and commands of God; they listen and obey them as well. Also, in Matthew 19:16-28, Jesus answers the question from the rich man of what to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus answers and says, “If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” The Mosaic Law and the commandments contained within are God’s word to His people. Keeping the commandments is obeying God.

The important thing to note here is that the Mosaic Covenant is still very much in existence. If we claim to be saved by the death of Jesus Christ, then we enter into a new life in which we are willing to hear and obey the word of God. Just as God gave the Mosaic Law to the Israelites to so that they would have a new worldview and social structure and be different from all the surrounding nations, God gives us new commandments to follow that will differentiate us from our surrounding cultures as well. Colossians 3:1-2 say, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your heart on things above…Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” We have a new existence that is filled with new purpose and perspective. We are not like we once were, we are different. Just as the Israelites became a distinct nation that was different than all the others nations when they entered into the Mosaic Covenant with God, we do become different when we enter into the New Covenant and proclaim that Christ is our Savior. This difference often comes with a price as John 15:18-25 states. The world will hate true believers in Christ because such individuals are no longer members of the regular society, they no longer conform to worldly views of values, but are transformed by Christ’s righteousness. This means that followers of Christ no long act like the other members of their society, but are radically different to the point that we are condemned for our difference, which is Christ.

To say that the Old Testament and the Law is done away with is to completely do away with everything the New Covenant is built on. In fact another name for the Old Testament, is the Old Covenant. “Old” specifies its age, not its relevance. When we accept Jesus Christ as our savior we become part of the family of Abraham, and we enter into the Mosaic Covenant by letting God have control and teach us how to live redeemed and holy lives.

The Mosaic Law has been fulfilled buy the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, and as such Jews and Gentiles are no longer required to do certain things, such as sacrifices, to keep and fulfill the Law because the Law, that is, the will and word of God, is now written on the hearts and minds of all believers. But that will be covered under the New Covenant, so stay tuned!