Jottings

by J. Miller | Category: Jottings | Dec 1967

Covenants: There are several covenants in the Scriptures of the Old Testament, but the one made between God and His people Israel at Mount Sinai in the wilderness after He had delivered them from Egypt is of outstanding importance. That covenant had as its mediator Moses, who received it written, with the finger of God, on two tables or tablets of stone. The first tables Moses broke at the foot of Sinai when He saw the idolatry of Israel in the worship of the golden calf. Moses had to replace these tables with other tables and carry them up the mount to God who wrote upon them the words which He had written on the first tables. That covenant was of ten commandments. The first three were Israel's responsibility toward God, and the following seven had to do with their responsibility toward one another. These tables were placed in the Ark of the Covenant, in the Holy of Holies when the Tabernacle had been built. That which was written on the tables of stone is called the Covenant, the Law and the Testimony. It was the agreement drawn up by God between Himself and His people, to which at the beginning, when read by Moses in the hearing of the people, they said, "All that the LORD hath spoken will we do, and be obedient" (Exodus 24.7). It was the law to regulate the conduct of the people. It was not a law to give life, but was a law to regulate life (Galatians 3.21).

When the terms of the covenant had been read to the people, and they agreed to do and be obedient, the covenant was ratified by the sprinkling of blood upon the altar upon the people and upon the book (Exodus 24.6-8; Hebrews 9.18,20). It would seem that an illustration used in Hebrews 9.16,17 is of someone making a testament, and for a testament to come into force there must be the death of him that made it; it does not avail while he that made it liveth. Both the A.V. and the R.V. give the meaning of the Greek Diatheke in these verses as testament, and the R.V. margin says, "The Greek word here used signifies both covenant and testament". So it would seem that the scholars of both these versions thought it meant a man's testament or will. I think this is the correct view.

Following this we read, "Wherefore even the first covenant hath not been dedicated without blood" and he takes his readers back to what took place at Sinai, to the initiation of the old covenant. This was never intended by God to be permanent. He had in mind "a better covenant, which hath been enacted upon better promises. For if the first covenant had been faultless, then would no place have been sought for a second" (Hebrews 8.6,7). It is important to see the three sections of this new covenant, and it is also important to note that we begin where God ends (Hebrews 8.8-12; Jeremiah 31.31-34).

(1) The first section in our experience and that of the people of Israel is in connexion with the forgiveness of sins.

"For I will be merciful to their iniquities,

And their sins will I remember no more" (verse 12).

(2) No one needs to say to his brother, "Know the Lord:

For all shall know Me,

From the least to the greatest of them" (verse 11).

We have two words for "know" here. The first is a form of the verb Ginosko in the aorist, imperative which means "get to know the Lord", but all shall know (from the root Eido), such is the knowing of the Lord on the part of all who are born again. These are the unconditional sides of the new covenant.

(3)Then the conditional side is in the laws being put into the mind and on the heart of those who are forgiven and born again, all in order that God might have a people, and that He might be their God. His laws were written of old on tablets of stone, but now they are to be written in the heart and mind. This, of course, demands that those graced of God shall read the Scriptures and that the Holy Spirit shall illuminate those that so read the word.

Heavenlies & Holies: In the epistle to the Ephesians we have the "Heavenlies", and in the epistle to the Hebrews we have the "Holies". "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ" (Ephesians 1.3). "God... quickened us together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), and raised us up with Him, and made us to sit with Him in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus" (2.4-6). This latter scripture shows how we reached the heavenlies in Christ, where we are blessed with every spiritual blessing. We also read of heavenlies which are the present habitation of the principalities, the powers, the world rulers of this darkness, the spiritual hosts of wickedness. It is against these wicked beings that those who are seated with Christ in the heavenlies in Christ have to wage a continual warfare during their time on earth. As the land of Canaan was the place of Israel's blessings, it was a land flowing with milk and honey, and was also the place of their warfare, many have seen the epistle to the Ephesians as the antitype to the book of Joshua, which describes Israel entering Canaan at the beginning of all the harvests, and also the beginning of their warfare for the land. Theirs were material blessings and a carnal warfare, ours are spiritual blessings and a spiritual warfare.

In contrast to the heavenlies of Ephesians, we have the holies in the Hebrews. Ephesians presents the antitype to the Land, and Hebrews presents the antitype to the "holies" of the Tabernacle. The first from earth to enter the holies was the Lord Himself, who became a Priest after the order of Melchizedek. The following shows His approach into the holies.

"But Christ having come a High Priest of the good things to come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, entered in once for all into the holies, having obtained eternal redemption" (Hebrews 9.11,12).

"Christ having come" does not mean the Lord's coming down to earth, but refers to His approach through the more perfect tabernacle above, and through His own blood, whereby He entered the holies above once for all, not like the high priest of Israel who entered the holies of the earthly tabernacle year by year on the day of atonement. It is quite clear that it was after His death that He entered those holies above, for He entered "through", not "with" His own blood. The preposition dia with genitive case shows this quite clearly.

In the old dispensation of the law the high priest entered the holies of the tabernacle through the blood of goats and calves, but Christ entered the holies of the tabernacle above through His own blood. There He sits on the throne at God's right hand, and by the word of the oath He is a Priest for ever and after the order of Melchizedek. When the time comes He will come again to put His enemies beneath His feet. No seat was provided for the high priest of Israel, but the Lord seated at God's right hand is a Minister of the holies, and it is necessary that He, like the priests of old, should have somewhat to offer (Hebrews 8.1-3). To this end, as the copies of the heavenly things were cleansed year by year, Christ entered into heaven to cleanse the heavenly things (Hebrews 9.23,24), and make it possible that a people, whom He represents as High Priest, should be able to enter the holies by the blood of Jesus. The words of Hebrews 10.19-22 are of great importance to make plain the privilege of God's gathered people.

"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holies by the blood of Jesus, by the way which He dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; and having a Great Priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart, in fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our body washed with pure water."

J. Miller | Dec 1967
Jottings