In our last chapter we identified the parties of the old covenant; God, and the nation of Israel as they received the law covenant at Mt. Sinai. Now we are ready to identify the beneficiaries of the ETERNAL COVENANT OF GRACE.
As Jacob was nearing his death he called his twelve sons to his side. One by one he began predicting the role each was to play in the future of his family now called Israel. When he got to his fourth son Judah, he tells him: “The sceptre turneth not aside from Judah, And a lawgiver from between his feet, Till his Seed come; And his is the obedience of peoples.” Genesis 49:10 (YLT)
Here is one of the most profound predictions of the coming of the Messiah. Looking back on the nation’s genealogy we indeed find that Jesus of Nazareth was from the lineage of Judah. In John’s Revelation of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:1) he is perplexed as to who can open the book of seven seals. He is told, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5 (NLT)
So now we get to the nitty gritty of the promise God originally made to Abraham, then to Isaac, and next to Jacob. It was a promise of a child (or seed) through whom the nations of the earth will be blessed, and the giving of the land of promise as their inheritance. It is best explained this way in Paul’s letter to the believers in Galatia:
“God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ.” Galatians 3:16 (NLT) The intent, or fulfillment, of the promise was not to be found in the line of those born as Abraham’s children. They were all just conduits to deliver the “SEED” who possessed the power and authority to ratify the covenant promise. Paul here identifies that person as Jesus Christ. The promised SEED was all the while singular, not plural.
But, let’s be sure not to miss the most important lesson to be harvested from this revelation. In fact, it is the most important power point trying to be made in this book, and I believe in all the Bible. Just as the parties of the old (law) covenant were God, and the people of Israel, the parties of the new (grace) covenant were God (the Father), and His Son – the Christ!!!
This is what Isaiah was reporting as he understood a conversation between the Lord God of Israel, and his Son concerning his birth into this world: “Thus says the LORD: “In an acceptable time I have heard You, And in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You As a covenant to the people, To restore the earth, To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages.”
Isaiah 49:8 (NKJV)
At the fall of Adam we as the human race became sinful, and thus shut out from God’s presence as sin cannot co-exist with Him. But rather than giving up on us God announced a plan right there in the Garden of Eden to save us from our hopeless situation. He told Satan (represented as a serpent) who precipitated the destruction of our race: “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15 (NKJV)
This SEED, as we have seen from Isaiah, came to us as a COVENANT. So, in a practical application of this truth here is how it works. To one degree, or another, all false religions teach that our salvation is dependent on some perceived covenant God has made with us as humans. We then naturally believe we have to keep our part of the bargain through some kind of obedience, or actions. Jesus even once predicted this kind of blind devotion would lead some people to kill others, and all the while thinking they are doing God’s will. Though the majority of those trying to find a connection with God may not kill, they do go through life with an underlying uncertainty of “did I do enough to win God’s favor?” Jesus also predicted a group of people who had misunderstood their covenant with God will say to Him at the final judgment, “‘ Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we force out demons and do many miracles by the power and authority of your name?’ Then I will tell them publicly, ‘I’ve never known you. Get away from me, you evil people.'” Matthew 7:22-23 (GW)
The truth about God’s plan is we are saved by an ETERNAL COVENANT between the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ. Christ’s life of obedience was the only thing that could meet the standard of flawlessness required to meet the terms of the Eternal Covenant. Sit back for a moment, and think about how utterly crazy and preposterous the concept of legalism is. The standard to be met by the ETERNAL COVENANT is an INFINITE OBEDIENCE. Yet, we are all FINITE! Our only hope of presenting an acceptable record to God in the judgment is to completely look outside ourselves to the perfect record the Lord has provided us through Christ. This is what Jacob was telling his son Judah when he said, “And his (Christ’s) is the obedience of peoples.” Genesis 49:10 (YLT)
But, obedience alone wasn’t enough to activate this covenant’s intentions. It had to be ratified by the atoning death of the ONE who made it – THE SEED HIMSELF! For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Just as the natural seed must die, and be placed in the earth in order to bring forth new life, so Christ died and was buried only to spring up again to new life. And, with His new life we too receive a new life. With this new life, which like Abraham we obtain by faith in an unseen promise, we get to share in the inheritance of Abraham’s Seed as though we were the seed. This is regardless of our background, gender, race or status in society. “For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus… There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.” Galatians 3:26-29 (NLT)
This is how the two pronged promise gets fulfilled. This is how all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. Though the old law covenant pertained primarily to a certain group (Jews), all are invited to benefit from God’s covenant plan of grace. And, as we shall see later, Christ will in the future both destroy this present earth, and recreate a new one for our inheritance. As Jesus Himself promised, “Blessed are the meek, for they as heirs shall obtain possession of the earth.” Matthew 5:5 (WEY)