Reading: Genesis 1-2
It’s really important to start at the beginning, because the whole Bible from beginning to end is not just a collection of stories or works or letters. It is one big story unfolding in which our Creator is using this inspired Word that has transcended centuries to tell us about Himself, about His relationship to us, and not only what to do about that now, but to give us a glimpse of what it will be like to get back to the beginning—back to the way he originally designed it to be.
One of the pleasures of reading Genesis again and again and examining some of the commentaries to prepare for this study of covenants has been to explore the differences between Genesis 1 and 2. Chapter 1 gives us an overview of creation, the big picture of God speaking the earth and all that is in it into being. The overview is given in a sort of poetic form, a form easy to remember and to repeat to generations, as the end of each day is recorded the same way: first the Creator declaring evening and morning, declaring this a day, then after seeing His creation to be good, declaring it another day.
It is very interesting that the first thing God did was shed light on everything. The Bible speaks often of God’s light and the separating of light from the darkness. The culmination was the advent of Jesus, the Light of the World, who gives us light that we can shine before men. What in the world could we do without light? We couldn’t see, there would be no power, no energy, and nothing would be revealed. Of course, everything would have to begin with light.
In Genesis 2:2 I find the word “generations” interesting. It could mean “this is the birth of the heavens and the earth” or “this is the course of history of the heavens and the earth.” The HCSB uses the words “records of the creation of the heavens and the earth concerning their creation at the time.” However it is stated, it sounds like it took some work.
Now, because the word “covenant” is not mentioned in Genesis until the time of Noah, does that mean that there was no covenant with creation? Let’s look at some other texts:
Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day
And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
the LORD of hosts is his name:
"If this fixed order departs
from before me, declares the LORD,
then shall the offspring of Israel cease
from being a nation before me forever." [Jeremiah 31:35-36]
"Thus says the LORD: If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night will not come at their appointed time, then also my covenant with David my servant may be broken, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests my ministers.” [Jeremiah 33:20-21]
Thus says the LORD: If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth, then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them." [Jeremiah 33:25-26]
O. Palmer Robertson points out in The Christ of the Covenants that the similarity in these two passages deems it appropriate to assume that “covenant” in Jeremiah 33 and “fixed order” in Jeremiah 31 mean the same thing. And the Jeremiah 33 passage is linking two covenants.
To be continued…
God has set up a heavenly Kingdom, or government, made up of Jesus Christ and those chosen from among mankind. This recurring theme is found throughout the Bible. God has entrusted this government with the task of making sure that his will is done on earth as in heaven. (Matthew 6:10) It was not part of God’s original purpose for any from among mankind to go to heaven. Their home was to be the earth. But following man’s fall into sin, God purposed something new. He arranged to choose people “out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation . . . to rule as kings” with Christ in a heavenly government. (Revelation 5:9, 10) That Kingdom government will soon “crush and put an end” to all forms of human rulership, which have brought so much misery and pain to the human family.—Daniel 2:44.
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Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day
ReplyDeleteAnd the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
the LORD of hosts is his name:
"If this fixed order departs
from before me, declares the LORD,
then shall the offspring of Israel cease
from being a nation before me forever." [Jeremiah 31:35-36]
"Thus says the LORD: If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night will not come at their appointed time, then also my covenant with David my servant may be broken, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests my ministers.” [Jeremiah 33:20-21]
Thus says the LORD: If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth, then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them." [Jeremiah 33:25-26]
The Covenant of with Day and with Night. When Hashem separated the light from the darkness, he created a boundary. The Light was not fit for the unrighteous to inhabit so Hashem fixed light into place so that it would not be moved from the foundation of the creation. The Night was given a boundary...with this boundary in place, the wicked could not claim the Light of day. Even in the darkest of winter, it is always light for more hours than it is dark. Even in the darkness, Hashem created a moon that lights up part of the night and the sun for part of the day so that it brings more light.
Here's the parallel... Wickedness has always been associated with darkness; Righteousness has always been associated with light. When the devil and his angels were sent into outer darkness, they inhabited all the darkness because there was no light. Then G-d began a separation because His creation could not abide with evil. Even then, G-d knew His creation would sin and by formally placing the boundary between Light and Dark, evil could never override righteousness.
The Light represents the Light of Torah. The Sun represents the Son. The Darkness represents Satan. The Moon represents an artificial light that merely reflects the light of the luminary of the day. However, even though it is naturally artificial light, it lights the darkness so that even the darkness is limited in its own boundary. Yes, the word "Covenant" is not mentioned here but in the Hebrew text, the word "separation" is used as the determining factor of a Covenant between Hashem and His creation. In these verses of Jeremiah, G-d is letting man and Satan know that His Creational Covenant of the day and night and the seasons being fixed into their places WILL NOT EVER change. How do we know they will never change? Because His covenant with David HaMelech (David our King) is eternal; His throne will rule forever and when the Darkness is eternally banished from the earth, only the Light of Torah and the Light of the Son will exist and there will be no more night. This is when the "new heaven and new earth" covenant will take place and the earth will go back to its original state in Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden).
***Note... I realize the sun and moon were created on a later day but I thought putting them into their proper order with light and darkness would make the parallel more clearly understood.
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