What's Weather Been Teaching You?

The Noahic Covenant was between God and Noah, who stood as a type of Adam (the federal head of all men) and all the creatures of the earth; it is a covenant between Creator God and earth. This covenant was the promise by God to never destroy the earth again by a flood and provide food and seasons for all the beasts of the earth until the end of the age (Gen. 8:20 - 22; 9:8 - 17).  The sign of the covenant is the rainbow (Gen. 9:13).

Genesis 8:20 – 22 & 9:8 – 17. Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.  While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” …  Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.  When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Here's what the weather's been teaching me. Since my wife and I moved to south-east Oklahoma from Houston, Texas not too long ago ()this was written in early 2015), having real seasons (rather than summer with a dash of cool weather) has reminded me of the personal providential aspect of YHWH’s covenant with Noah and all of us. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. That’s a personal, gracious, kind God; even for those who hate Him (as we all did until He rescued us). Do not lose sight of this promise – the Creator of all things (Colossians 1:15 & 16) Who holds all things together (Colossians 1:17) – He declares that until Christ returns (as long as the earth remains – 2 Peter 3:8 – 13) seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will be sustained by the will of almighty, sovereign YHWH!

That is unearned kindness from One Who owes nothing to anyone. 

The New Covenant is not like the Old Covenant

This came to me while flying to Washington to help move my son and his family to Texas.

The New Covenant is not like the Old Covenant (HEB 8).

Entry into the Old Covenant did not require faith in God; most of the people in that community were unbelievers. All they (the males) needed for entry was circumcision of their flesh. Entry into the New Covenant comes only to those who believe on the Son of God (John 10), who have been circumcised of the heart, not made with human hands (Col 2).

The mediator of the New Covenant is not another in the type of Moses - a servant in God's house (Heb 3). He is the Son and Lord of the house!

God does not change our old stone into a new heart of flesh, He removes the heart of stone and implants a heart of flesh (Jer 31).

God does not improve the stone temple in which Israel worshiped Him, His redeemed are the temple of God! (1 Cor 3, 1 Pet 2)

The New Covenant does not have a priest after the order of Aaron but after the order of Melchizedek, who had no genealogy (Heb 7). This was not merely a change in/within the priesthood, it was a change OF priesthood; the nature of the priesthood is different (Heb 8).

The sacrifices of the Old Covenant could never take away sin, but only cover them for a season. The sacrifice of the New Covenant takes away all the sins of all the people in that covenant community, showing the weakness of the law and the superiority of the oath and promise (Heb 7). The nature of the sacrifices in the two covenant are not the same.

When the passage (Heb 7) says that a change of the priesthood mandates a change OF the law, the same nature of change is at hand. The law given to the Old Covenant community is not suited for the New Covenant community. A new type of law is required - one reflecting the priesthood as well as the community, which is 100% redeemed and dwelt by the Holy Spirit.

The law written on the flesh hearts of the saints is not the legal code with warnings and penalties, issued from the fiery mount (HEB 12). The law written on the hearts of the redeemed is the perfect law, the law of liberty (James 1), the royal law (James 2), the law of Christ (Gal 6). The law of Moses commanded its people to rest from the work of providing for themselves (Ex 20). The law of Christ provides rest for the redeemed, no longer working to prove themselves to God, but serving one another, bearing burdens, loving others as Christ has loved us.

No legal code with threats and penalties for a stiff-necked and rebellious people but a new creature that loves God and others, in which the Spirit of God dwells, to equip and will His people to that which pleases Him (Phil 2).