This past month, my wife and I did something that we have
not done in 17 years. We bought a vehicle. I’ll be honest, I was not a big fan
of having to do that. I don’t like the
hassle of potentially pushy salespeople, etc. And I especially don’t like
vehicle payments! But our car was not in good shape; the repairs that it badly
needed would cost way more than what the vehicle was worth. So we did the
inevitable and made a deal with a used car salesman. Now, for the record, I
think that the salesman was fair with us, and we like our new ride. Yet if
there would have been some way around having to make a deal on a new set of
wheels, I would have done it!
This all got me thinking of deals that were made in the
Bible; the most significant are called covenants. Covenants are similar to
contracts, like the one we signed for our new vehicle. We agreed to pay X
number of dollars for a certain amount of time until the loan was paid off.
Meanwhile, we get to enjoy the new ride.
A covenant with God can be seen as a partnership with Him
to accomplish a goal together. When God created the world, everything was very
good (Gen. 1:31). The covenants were and are a means to bring even more good
into the world we live in; things like families, love, justice, peace, and joy,
etc. There are 7 major covenants listed in the Bible: the Eternal Covenant
(Heb. 13:20), the Covenant of Eden (Gen. 1-3), the Noahic Covenant (Gen. 6-9),
the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3), the Mosaic Covenant, aka the Old Covenant
(Ex. 19:4-31:18), the Davidic Covenant, and the Covenant of Christ, aka the New
Covenant (Jer. 31:31-33; Matt. 26:28; Heb. 8:8-12).
Contained within these 7 major covenants are what is known
as the “Three Great Ages.” The Three Great Ages help us understand some of the
major changes that take place throughout the history of the Bible including the
priesthood, laws, places of worship, and sacrifices. Hebrews 7:12 states that
when the priesthood changes the law must change also, and so does the place of
worship and sacrifices. The Three Great Ages are the Patriarchal Age beginning
with Adam and Eve and ending with Moses receiving the Ten Commandments. Second,
the Mosaic Age, beginning with the receiving of the Ten Commandments and ending
with Jesus on the Cross. And third, the Christian/Church Age, beginning on the
cross and ending when Jesus returns (for more information on the Three Great
Ages see
http://eugenechristianchurch.blogspot.com/search/label/How%20to%20Understand%20the%20Bible).
So while, the Three Great Ages each had/have an ending point, portions of the 7
major covenants will remain for eternity.
So for the next several months, we will consider each of
the 7 major covenants and how they relate to us today and forever. By doing so,
we will be better able to understand what God expects of us, God promises to us
when we follow the covenants, the consequences for those who break the
contract, and the condition for obtaining those blessings.
So “May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord
smile on you and be gracious to you. And may the Lord show you His favor and
give you His peace” (Num. 6:24-26 NLT).
In His service,
Matt
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