Diving In Session 4 Covenant 8 The New Covenant

Where does the New Covenant fit in?

As we saw last time, the fulfilment of all the OT Covenants all link together. What we need to see is that the fulfilment is not possible without the New Covenant. The New Covenant is the key for the fulfilment of the Abrahamic, Land and Davidic covenants (Rom. 15:8; 2 Cor. 1:20), and what God had to do (i.e. the Incarnation) to put it in place:

• The Abrahamic Covenant looks forward to a Descendant (Seed) to inherit the promises – according to Gal. 3:16, this is Christ
• The Davidic Covenant looks forward to a Descendant who will be settled in God’s House and Kingdom for ever. The Angel Gabriel applies this to Jesus (Luke 1:32-33; cf. Isa. 9:6-7) who is Himself eternal
• The Land and Davidic Covenants are part of the fulfilment of the Abrahamic Covenant
• Both the Land and Davidic Covenants have been put on hold by disobedience (exile foretold in Land Covenant, and Davidic kings stopped at the Babylonian exile but NB Luke 1:32-33!) but both contain promises relating to the promised Seed
• The Mosaic Covenant is the only one of the OT covenants which is said to have been broken (Jer. 31:32)
• Only the Mosaic Covenant deals with the question of sin. Paul says in Gal.3 that the Mosaic Law was a temporary administration, which couldn’t give righteousness but shut us all up under sin until Messiah came.

But as we get to end of OT and all appears to have failed

• The ‘tent of David’ is in ruins – it’s been over 600 years since a descendant of David ruled any part of Israel and his descendants are typified by a poor carpenter and his fiancée (who can’t even afford the offering of the poor for her purification after the birth of Jesus but bring the offering of the destitute).
  The ‘sceptre had departed from Judah’ (AD7 with the removal of the power of capital punishment from the Jews by the Romans) and to all outward observation, Shiloh (Messiah) hadn’t come.
• It’s been 400 years since there was any word from the Lord
• A divided remnant occupies fragments of the Promised Land
• They are under the yoke of the Romans with an Edomite king
• The High Priesthood is totally corrupted and occupied by men who don’t hold “the hope of the promise made to the fathers” (Sadducees Acts 23:6-7; 26:6)
• The Mosaic Covenant requirements have been turned into burdens to bind men while the religious leaders don’t lift a finger to help (Scribes and Pharisees Matt. 23:4ff)
• The faithful in Israel, who looked for redemption, are typified by people we read of in Luke 2 – an old man in Jerusalem, Simeon, “ who was just and devout” (like that was an exception), an ever older widow, Anna, who “served God with fastings and prayers night and day”, a remnant “who looked for redemption in Jerusalem” and an elderly childless couple who will produce the longed for Elijah who precedes the coming of Messiah – but how many recognised that? The authorities wanted to get rid of him, just as they did their Messiah, in order to preserve the status quo (John 11:48)
• The cry of Israel ought to have been Isa. 26:18 “We were with child; we writhed in pain; but we gave birth to wind. We have given no salvation to the earth, nor brought any life into the world.” (as it will be in the Tribulation, cf. vv.19-20)

Promises made to the Fathers	Abrahamic	Mosaic	Land	Davidic	Status
A land is promised to his descendants	9		X	X	Failed
Great nation to come from Abraham	8	X	X		Failed
To be the head and not the tail of the nations		X	X	X	Failed
National and international prosperity and peace	1		X	X	Failed
Descendants will rule over enemies	1		X		Failed
To be God’s special people and priestly nation		X			Corrupt
Yahweh will be their God and protect them	4	X	X		Seemingly Lost?
Dispersion for disobedience		X	X		Coming
Regathering after repentance			X		Promised
Everlasting duration	4			X	Promised

All in all, the situation looked pretty hopeless and it seems many had given up hope (Psa. 4:6 “Who will show us any good?”) – consider all the questions and doubts over John the Baptist and Jesus during their respective ministries. Even John questioned Jesus “are you He that should come or do we look for another?” (Matt. 11:2)

Into this darkness, a light is born (John 1:4, 9) and it’s a Light that the darkness cannot extinguish (v.5)! He brings the promise of fulfilment of the promises made to the fathers (Rom. 15:8 – see Luke 1:54-55, 72-73) but it will be via a New (or Renewed?) Covenant.

Some questions

There is some difficulty (and therefore much dispute!) about how the New Covenant will be fulfilled and for whom it will be fulfilled. This difficulty lies at the heart of the theological battles over Israel and the Church since the 3^rd century. To get to the root of it, we need to consider some questions:

1. As this is the New Covenant, what is the Old one?
2. Does the New Covenant replace, expand or extend the Old one? Is it brand new or is it a renewal?
3. Is there one New Covenant, or Two as some propose?
4. Is there a two-fold fulfilment – a heavenly people with a heavenly calling (the Church) and an earthly people with an earthly calling (Israel)? Is this just disguised dualism or is it found in Scripture?
5. Is the Church just a parenthesis in God’s covenantal dealings with Israel as a people? Or is it an extension of Israel? i.e. one people of God extending throughout all generations and covenants
6. Whatever our answers are to the above, how do the Gentiles become co-heirs with Israel and incorporated into the commonwealth of Israel? Israel has to, firstly, exist, and then to enter into her inheritance so that the Gentiles can inherit alongside her?

We’ll come back to these questions after we have looked at what the Scriptures actually say about the New Covenant.

READ Jer. 31:31-37

Discussion summary

Exploring Spiritual Israel and New Covenant

We explored the concept of spiritual Israel and the inclusion of Gentiles in the New Covenant. The team examined verses from the Bible, including Jeremiah 31 and Romans 11, to further understand the unfolding of the covenant promises. They concluded that the New Covenant, while rooted in the Old Covenant, is a new, spiritual covenant that includes both Jew and Gentile.

Exploring the ‘One New Man’ Concept

The group engaged in a detailed discussion about the ‘one new man’ concept in the context of the commonwealth of Israel. Ray clarified that Gentiles, while not Israelites, are included in the commonwealth but retain their distinct identity. The group also explored the distinction between Jews and Gentiles, using analogies to describe the ‘one new man’ as a cake or fruit salad, where distinctiveness remains but division is removed. The group agreed that the ‘one new man’ does not represent a genderless state. Furthermore, they examined the New Testament’s teachings on the relationship between the Church and the Jews, the concept of two covenants, and God’s faithfulness to these covenants. The discussion is set to continue as the group delves deeper into this theological concept.

Biblical Covenants and New Covenant Discussion

The team engaged in a detailed discussion about the symbolism of Israel as a thriving olive tree (Jer. 11:16), a vine, and a fig tree in the context of Biblical teachings. They also explored the concept of the new covenant, its spiritual implications, and the process of covenant establishment. David clarified the four distinct steps in the covenant process – announced (first chronological mention Hos. 2:19-23), confirmed (many passages in Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, e.g. Jer. 31:31-37), inaugurated at the last Supper and with the shedding of Jesus’ blood on the Cross, and emphasizing that the new covenant came into effect on the day of Pentecost. The team agreed on the importance of understanding the Scripture in its plain sense before exploring theological interpretations.

Confirmation of the New Covenant and what it confirms

This covenant is made between God and Israel, and it receives further confirmation in other passages including: Isaiah 55:3; 59:21; 61:8-9; Jeremiah 32:40; Ezekiel 16:60, 62; 34:25-31; 37:26-28; and Romans 11:26-27.

Promises made to the Fathers	Fulfilled in the New Covenant
A land is promised to his descendants	Ezek. 37:25
Great nation to come from Abraham	Isa. 61:9; Ezek. 37:26-28
To be the head and not the tail of the nations	Isa. 60:9-14; 61:9
National and international prosperity and peace	Jer. 33:15-17; Ezek. 34:26-27
Descendants will rule over enemies	Ezek. 34:28
To be God’s special people and priestly nation	Isa. 61:5-9; Ezek. 34:30-32; 37:26-27
Yahweh will be their God and protect them	Jer. 31:33-34; Ezek. 34:31
Regathering after repentance	Ezek. 36:24-32
Everlasting duration	Isa. 59:21-22; Jer. 31:36-37; Ezek. 16:60

This is the starting point for understanding the New Covenant as it applies to Israel. There is progressive revelation in the OT regarding what the Covenant means and involves, and the into the New Testament, especially regarding the inclusion of the Gentiles – which was a mystery ‘hidden in God’ in OT times (Eph. 3:6, 9). This we will explore next time.