2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The Mosiac covenant is the one that was made between God and mankind at the time of the giving of the Law. Traditional Jews celebrate this as the holiday, Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks, which is found in LV 23: 15-22 and NU 28: 26-31. This occurred 50 days after the Festival of First Fruits. Traditional Jews refer to this holiday as “Atzeret shel Pesach,” the completion of Passover. Messianic significance abounds in this festival. From God’s perspective the time of great “harvest”-when large numbers of Jews and then Gentiles came into a personal relationship with Him-was initiated at the Shavuot after Christ’s (Yeshua’s)-resurrection [AC 2: 40-43]. The two leavened (impure) loaves of Shavuot may therefore symbolize Jew and Gentiles “presented” to God and now part of His “family.” The scroll of Ruth, the story of a Gentile woman who became part of God’s people, certainly pictures this time when Gentiles first became God’s children in large numbers. The “Sahvuot” after Christ’s resurrection is the Pentecost, in which Christians commemorate the coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell in the believers. From this, it can be seen that there is a spiritual connection between the giving of the Law to Moses and Pentecost, which it foreshadows.
In case there is any question that this is a covenant, look at EX 34: 27-28. “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Write these words down, because it is on the basis of these words that I am making a covenant with you and with Israel.’ Moses stayed there with the Lord forty days and forty nights, eating and drinking nothing. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant-the Ten Commandments.” If we were to delve into God’s reasons for making this covenant, it would soon become obvious that until this time mankind had no way of discerning right from wrong. RO 7: 7 illuminates the real purpose of the Law. “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.” Paul wrote the book of Romans as if he were a lawyer-a brilliant one! He understood the positions and the cultural background of the Judaizers and the Anti-nomians, his opposition, and wrote Romans formulating arguments they might raise presenting air-tight reasons why those arguments fall apart. That was God at work in him! The opposition might have tried to express their belief that the Law and circumcision were the way to salvation. Paul showed them that the only way to salvation is through faith in Christ [RO 3: 24-25]. Then, he went on to explain that it was the Law that allowed them to know what was righteous in God’s eyes and what wasn’t. Also, he made it clear that the Law itself doesn’t bring salvation. I can’t resist the urge to repeat Les Feldick’s words: “FAITH + NOTHING= SALVATION” here.
We can now turn our attention to the Old and New Covenants. Up to the moment of the Christ’s death on the cross, Jews had only the Old Covenant upon which to depend. This was the basis of going to synagogue on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, after having spent the Ten Days of Awe [the time between the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanna and Yom Kippur] confessing their sin [LV 23: 23-32]. This is still done by devout traditional Jews today who reject Christ. It is at the Yom Kippur service that they ask God to grant them forgiveness for a period of one year until the next Yom Kippur. They pray to God that He will enter their names in the Book of Life at this service. To my way of thinking as a Jewish believer in Christ, it is a tragedy that they don’t realize that eternal forgiveness through faith in Christ and repentance of one’s sins is available to them. But, I must trust in God’s wisdom and take comfort of knowing that this stubbornness is only temporary [RO 11: 25]. The Jewish High Priest had to first sacrifice an offering to God to expunge his own sin and then offer one for the nation for its sin.
The moment of Christ’s death on the cross was the moment the New Covenant, the Covenant of Grace, was ushered in. MK 15: 37-39 tells us some of the dramatic events surrounding that moment. “With a loud cry Jesus died. The inner veil hanging in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The centurion [Roman army officer] who was standing there in front of the cross saw how Jesus had died. ‘This man was really the Son of God! he said.” Anyone who knew the physical dimensions of the inner veil would know that it took supernatural intervention to have it tear this way. This centurion was brought to faith in that instant-another act of God. We know that because of what Christ told us in JN 14: 6, “I am the way, the truth, and the light. No one comes to the Father except by Me.” Those were some of the physical changes with the onset of the New Covenant. Tomorrow, we will begin discussing the spiritual impact of it.
PRAYER: O Lord, in Your infinite wisdom You have chosen a particular time in mankind’s history to enter in to a particular covenant with them. All of this has been solely for mankind’s benefit, although they didn’t always see that and still don’t always see it. You wanted us to know the difference between what is righteous and what isn’t, so You gave us the Law and bound us to the Mosiac covenant. You wanted us to desire to do what is right, so You gave us a conscience and led those of us who would to seek Your forgiveness. Under the Old Covenant, which You came to realize wasn’t working like You wanted it to, forgiveness was granted for one year at a time by a priest who himself needed forgiveness. Once You sacrificed Your Son on the cross, the Old Covenant was replaced by a far better one, the Covenant of Grace. What an extraordinary and singular act of Your love for us this was! We are blessed to know that with faith in Your Son and repentance of our sins, we can enjoy eternal forgiveness. Does that mean it’s okay for us to sin? Of course not! But with our faith in Christ, You have put us right with Yourself and have given us the desire to be righteous by Your Son’s model. The blessings You give us when we have faith in You are too numerous to count. For that and so much more, we humbly approach You today to offer our worship, adoration, loyalty, honor, glory, trust, obedience, praise, and thanksgiving. In Christ’s name, amen.
Be blessed, Dear Ones, knowing that the Lord loves each one of us and that is why He gave His Son on the cross for us. No one with faith in Christ must ever go another day in his life feeling unloved or abandoned. Even in our worst times of trouble, He is there for us. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn