By Les Fleetwood

(Taken from the full article on the Old Testament Covenants – here)

Over 30% of the New Testament (NT) is composed of OT quotes and allusions. Much of this refers to OT covenant material. This statistic alone should motivate one to study the OT more diligently. Specifically, God’s eschatological (endtime) program began in specific OT covenants He made with the nation of Israel. These covenants provided Israel with a hope, a certain future based on the faithfulness of God. Anyone serious about understanding the Endtimes must begin their study with the OT covenants as they are “the basis of Biblical Eschatology”

How do I interpret the OT Covenants?

As explained in a previous article on this site, the literal or normal method of biblical interpretation is the only method to assure consistency and accuracy when it comes to studying the OT covenants. As we study the covenants, we shall see that they are literal, that is they are contracts written in common language, conveying a plainly expressed straightforward meaning. As such, reading and interpreting these covenants in the most plain and normal sense (i.e.; literal interpretation) becomes obvious.

The Abrahamic Covenant

Initially stated in Genesis 12:1-3, and confirmed in Genesis 12:6-7, 13:14-17, 15:1-21, 17:1-14, and 22:15-18, this covenant which God made with Abraham and the nation Israel is the most significant of the four covenants we will be studying, for it is the basis of God’s entire covenant program. The entire Bible abounds with references to this covenant, from the OT prophets to the NT writings of the Apostle Paul (Pentecost, Thy Kingdom Come, pp. 72-81). As we shall see, it is the foundation of the other three covenants (Palestinian, Davidic, and New).

A plain reading of the Abrahamic Covenant reveals three central aspects. First, God promised a national land to Israel (Genesis 12:1; 13:14-15, 17), the exact boundaries of which are recorded in Genesis 15:18-21 and Deuteronomy 11:24-25. Second, God promised numerous descendants from Abraham who would form a great nation to live and rule in this land (Genesis 12:2; 13:16; 17:2-6). Third, God promised Israel would be a blessing to all the nations of the earth (Genesis 12:3b; 22:18). These three central aspects make up the eschatological portion of the Abrahamic Covenant. But how do we know we are to take these as literal promises? We can know they are literal by looking at other aspects of the covenant that have already been literally fulfilled, as follows.

There are other aspects to the Abrahamic Covenant that were literally fulfilled. Look, for example, at the individual promises made directly with Abraham (e.g., Genesis 12:2 – God would bless him, make his name great, and make him a blessing to others). Within Abraham’s lifetime and throughout the OT and NT, we can see how these promises were literally fulfilled: God made him a rich, powerful man with a great reputation. He is known as an outstanding example of faith, and he is mentioned close to 300 times in the Bible (Walvoord, Major Bible Prophecies, p. 42)!

Further, God gave national promises to Israel, such as dealing with other nations as they dealt with Israel (Genesis 12:3 – “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.”). Again, this has been literally fulfilled down through history. Notice that every nation which has mistreated Israel (beginning with Egypt, then Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, Russia, Germany, and Spain) has “suffered diminished power and world prestige. In contrast, America and the countries that have been relatively kind to Israel have enjoyed continued power and prosperity.” (Walvoord, Prophecy, pp. 73-4). Since these aspects of the Abrahamic covenant have been literally fulfilled, it is logical to consider the central aspects of land, descendants, and blessing as having a literal fulfillment as well. Consistency in our interpretation demands it.

Remember: the promise of land is further developed in the Palestinian Covenant (Deuteronomy 30:1-10); the promise of descendants is further developed in the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:12-16); and the promise of future blessing is further developed in the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Details of these covenants will be dealt with later. For now, it is sufficient to notice that these three aspects of the Abrahamic Covenant were unconditional promises, resting solely on the faithfulness of God to fulfill them.

Point of clarification: This is not to say that there wasn’t a conditional element prior to the Abrahamic Covenant. God required just one condition before the covenant was made, and that was for Abraham to leave his homeland and go to the place God would show to him (Genesis 12:1). God required this single act of obedience to establish the covenant, but obedience wasn’t required from that point onward to uphold or maintain the covenant, just as any disobedience would not nullify the covenant.

The key question we must now ask ourselves is: “Have these three central promises of the Abrahamic Covenant been literally fulfilled?”

Eschatological Significance: The answer to the question of fulfillment must be “Not yet.” Let’s look at each of the three central promises of the Abrahamic Covenant and find out why.

Land

As previously mentioned, God promised Israel a national land in Genesis 12:1 and 7; “To your descendants I will give this land.” Some interpret “this land” as referring to heaven, thereby eliminating the need for a literal fulfillment altogether. But this does not make sense when the text is plainly read. Further, when this promise is repeated in Genesis 13:14-15, 17 – “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and your descendants forever…Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you.” – it is quite clear that “this land” refers to literal property and that Abraham understood God as saying this was land that he could see, walk about in, and live in. Finally, in the entire OT the phrase “this land” is never symbolic, never refers to heaven, but always literally means “land.” (Ibid, p. 75).

Since a literal promise was made, has it been fulfilled? The answer is “Not yet.” 1,900+ years since the worldwide scattering of Israel following the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, the nation of Israel was officially reborn at midnight, May 15, 1948, after Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion read a “Declaration of Independence.” Many see this as the fulfillment of God’s land promise. While it is true this spectacular event certainly shows God hasn’t forgotten the nation Israel, it isn’t the complete fulfillment of what God promised. In Genesis 15:18-21 – “From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates…”, and Deuteronomy 11:24-25 – “your border shall be from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the river, the river Euphrates, as far as the western sea [the Mediterranean]…”, God lays out the specific boundaries of the Promised Land. Clearly, Israel does not occupy all this territory…yet!

Point of clarification: “Didn’t King Solomon occupy all the land that was promised?” Some would attempt to argue that the boundary of the land promised in Genesis 15:8 – “From the river of Egypt” – was already fulfilled under King Solomon. It is posited that 1 Kings 4:21 – “from the border of Egypt” – indicates the land was at one point possessed to its fullest extent. But herein lies the problem; “from the river Egypt” and “from the border of Egypt” are not equivalent geographical phrases. Furthermore, Solomon did not occupy all this land, but only collected tribute from it. “Obviously, temporary overlordship is not everlasting possession” (Pentecost, Thy Kingdom…, pp. 147-148). One can confidently assert that as of yet, Israel has not fully inherited the entire region of the land promised to them.

Further, read Jeremiah 23:7-8, Ezekiel 39:25-29, and 47:13-48:7, where prophets predicted that God would bring an exiled and scattered Israel back from other nations to their Promised land, and apportion it out among the twelve tribes of Israel. This also has not yet completely happened. But the fact that national Israel exists at all 4,000 years after the promise to Abraham should remind us that God has not forgotten His promises to Israel and that He will fulfill them. As a literal promise partially fulfilled in 1948, we can expect a literal and complete fulfillment in the future. A literal millennial kingdom would make this possible.

Descendants

In Genesis 12:2, 13:16, and 17:2-6, God promises Abraham that he will be the beginning of a great nation as he starts a long line of descendants with Isaac (Genesis 17:19). Some Bible translations render the word “descendants” as “seed.” Actually, this is literally what is expressed in the Hebrew. The noun “zera” means “seed”, the context determining whether plant seed, spiritual seed, or human seed (i.e., semen/ descendants) is being referred to. In the context of the Abrahamic Covenant, the plain, normal meaning of the above texts is referring to the physical descendants (human seed) of Abraham.

Interpretational issue: Could “seed” be interpreted to refer to the spiritual descendants of Abraham, that is the covenant community of heirs to the Abrahamic promise? After all, doesn’t Genesis 12:3 say that through Abraham “all the families of earth shall be blessed?” And isn’t this re-affirmed in the NT in Galatians 3:7-9: “…those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham…?” Only if one interprets the scriptures figuratively can this be the case. A literal view of the scriptures requires that “seed” refer to a race of people (i.e., the Jews). Let me explain.

The unnecessary confusion on this point can be cleared up if we understand the three different senses in which the word “seed” is used in relation to being a child of Abraham (Walvoord, ” Series,” Bibliotheca Sacra, 108: 420). First, there is the natural lineage (“seed”) of Abraham, limited to the descendants of Jacob, the twelve tribes of Israel who received the Law. These were literally the children of Abraham. We could refer to them as “Natural Children/Natural Israelites.”

Second, there is a spiritual lineage of natural Israelites. While not literally Abraham’s seed, as God-fearing Jews they are also called the children of Abraham. We could refer to them as “Spiritual Children/Natural Israelites.”

Third, there is a spiritual lineage who are not natural Israelites. These are God-fearing Gentiles who comprise the “all the families of the earth” promise in Genesis 12:3, a part of what is called the “Church.” We could refer to them as “Spiritual Children/Non-Israelites.” These God-fearing Gentiles are the ones referred to in Galatians 3:7-9 – “it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. …so then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham… .” In fact, Galatians 3:14 clarifies this by saying “…in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles…[emphasis added].”

Does this mean the Church has replaced Israel? No, for God’s covenant with Israel through Abraham was unconditional. In Romans 11, the Apostle Paul clearly explains that God has not rejected Israel, but that He has grafted in Gentile believers through Christ as partakers of God’s blessing of the Holy Spirit through faith, and that He will still fulfill His unique promises to Israel in the future. As we shall see, the Davidic Covenant further develops this particular promise of “descendants.”

Blessing

In Genesis 12:3b and 22:18, God promised Abraham that all the people of earth would be blessed in his seed. In scope, this is certainly the greatest promise God makes with Abraham. What does it mean? How can Abraham’s seed mediate blessing to the entire world? The key is in understanding what “seed” means in this context. It can be taken as a plural, i.e. “descendants,” or as a singular “seed,” implying that God had one person in mind as being the “seed” who mediates this blessing. The real question becomes, “How did Abraham understand “seed?”

If you read through the book of Genesis, it becomes clear that Abraham understood this promise as referring to his physical descendants. This is in fact what happens through Isaac, Jacob, and the twelve tribes. However, Abraham was not only the father of a great nation, “most important, he was to be the progenitor of the line that would lead to Jesus Christ.” (Walvoord, Major Bible Prophecies, p. 41).

This is where Galatians 3:16 comes into play – “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as referring to many, but rather to one, ‘And to your seed,’ that is, Christ.” The Apostle Paul interpreted Genesis 22:18 as saying the “seed” referred to Christ.

Where do the spiritual children of Abraham fit in? “That Abraham would have spiritual children (Galatians 3:6-9) does not change the literal promise. Even the spiritual children of Abraham were a literal fulfillment of prophecy. The lineage from Abraham to Christ is a literal lineage, and Christ was literally born. The fulfillment of the literal promise was essential to God’s purpose not only for the physical seed of Abraham but also for the spiritual seed. Without the literal, the spiritual could not have been fulfilled [emphasis added]. It is significant that Galatians 3:5 does not trace the promise to the covenant that made Abraham the progenitor of the great nation of Israel, but rather to the promise of blessings to all people (Genesis 12:3), which is literally being fulfilled by Christ as the Savior.” (Ibid, pp. 41-2).

Jesus Christ, the promised “seed” of Abraham, is the Mediator of God’s blessings to all the families of earth as their Savior. And it is He who will affect change in the hearts of Israel according to God’s endtime plan (this will be further developed in the New Covenant, Jeremiah 31:31-34).

As the foundation of God’s endtime plan for the nation Israel, the Abrahamic Covenant is clearly significant.

(Taken from the full article on the Old Testament Covenants – here)