Hebrew Vision News Exclusive
“In that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto your seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates (Genesis 15.18).
by Miykael Qorbanyahu aka The End Time Scribe
From the first appearance of Adam in Genesis up unto the soon coming Kingdom, the seed of promise and household of faith has been and continues to be intimately united in a contractual agreement with the Creator of heaven, earth, sea and all that is in them. In fact, the entire basis for the continuity of the existence of the people of Israel is exclusively founded upon a covenant relationship with YHWH, the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This agreement, between YHWH and Israel, as told by Sha’ul of Tarsus in the fifth chapter in the letter to assembly at Ephesus, can best be understood in the context of that of a lawful marriage which is established upon basic conditions and principles that are to be brought forth by the man, given the faithfulness of the woman, to whom he is betrothed. According to Maurice Lamm, this agreement between a man and his wife, called a ketubah, is intended to serve as a statement of law that provides the framework for love. As such, the ketubah restates the fundamental conditions that are imposed by the Torah upon the husband, such as providing his wife with food, clothing, [shelter] and conjugal rights, which are inseparable from marriage. It includes the husband’s guarantees to pay a certain sum in the event of divorce, and inheritance rights obligatory upon his heirs in case he dies before his wife.
Furthermore, the ketubah also establishes a document of deed that provides for the security of women to be secured, which is effectuated by the obligations of the man with whom they have entered matrimony. Designed to afford protection for the woman, the ketubah
is a charter of woman’s rights in marriage and of man’s duties. The ketubah is designed for woman’s protection, and every legal nuance in this matter was developed so that her husband shall not regard it as easy to divorce her. In a male-oriented society, the woman always needed more defense against the violation of personal rights than the man. The ketubah required money to be paid by the husband in case of divorce. This made it difficult for the husband to divorce his wife without appropriate reflection and consideration. The requirement of a scribe and a specially convened court and witnesses for a divorce also protected the wife from an arbitrary husband, especially when the Rabbis, in accordance with Hillel’s dictum, were lenient with divorce. Moreover, the ketubah protected whatever property was to be hers at the termination of the marriage.
Provided this understanding of the marriage-like nature of the relationship between YHWH and Israel, it is essential to understand how the structure of the Torah serves as both the formal ketubah of the marriage covenant and the official constitution of Heaven’s connection with Earth. Being that the Torah is considered the blueprint of the universe, containing instructions to humanity for its benefit, it would behoove any individual desirous of serving YHWH, the Elohim of Israel, in Spirit and Truth, to adhere to the Torah’s precepts. As the foundation of the unique relationship of YHWH with Israel, we find that according to the Harvard University Pluralism Project article, Torah: Covenant and Constitution, the Torah is
the expression of the covenant (brit) given by [YHWH] to the [Israelite] people. Practically, Torah is the constitution of the [Israelite] people, the historical record of origins and the basic legal document passed down from the ancient Israelites to the present day. Torah provides the basis for the [Israelites’] relationship to [YHWH] as well as their interactions as a socio-political cultural group.
As the defining document outlining the terms and conditions of Israel, the bride, as well as the promises and provisions of YHWH, the bridgegroom, the Torah serves as the framework for love that is to enjoin Israel to YHWH, as we read in the book of Exodus,
You do not make for yourself a graven image, nor any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that which is in the earth beneath, or that which is in the water under the earth. You do not bow down to them, nor serve them, for I Yahweh your Elohim am a jealous El, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate me, but showing loving-kindness unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments (Exodus 20.-4-6).
Therefore, given this principle of love equating to the faithful keeping of the commandments of the Torah, we can understand how the Torah qualitatively establishes the standard of love for Israel as relates to their covenant responsibility with YHWH. In light of this principle, it would be important for us at this juncture to understand exactly what a covenant is. We find that the Hebrew word for covenant is בְּרִית (ber-iyt), and is defined in the Strong’s Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon, #1285, as
(in the sense of cutting (like 1254–(absolutely) to create; (qualified) to cut down (a wood), select, feed (as formative processes):– choose, create (creator), cut down, dispatch, do, make (fat).)); a compact (because made by passing between pieces of flesh):–confederacy, (con-)feder(-ate), covenant, league.
When we take a deeper look at the meaning of the word בְּרִית, we find this definition provided to us from the Bet HaShem Torah Dictionary, as follows
covenant, a contract, agreement; a son/work that gives/receives all, without restriction;lit., a receptive mind, responsible/active in continual renewal; a condensed form of Beresheet: the fires of “beginnings” (realms of fire beings); being fulfilled/concealed/contained/covered, by virtue of covenant; note: to enter covenant is to develop the intellect unto attaining totality; as idol at Shechem: doctrines as ruling principles. Value, 612: regenerative mind ruling/blessing the house.
After taking these definitions into account, we find that the covenant between YHWH and Israel is understood, in depth, as the confederacy of Heaven and Earth created by the contractual agreement entered into at Mt. Sinai with the people of Israel, the chosen people, in order to continually renew a realm of fire beings in creation who have developed their intellect unto the attaining of totality through the study and application of the doctrines given as ruling principles which will ultimately regenerate the mind so that the covenanted members will rule over the blessed household of faith.
It is this agreement between YHWH and Israel that has placed upon them the responsibility to be faithful to the covenant by observing the decrees, right-rulings, statutes, precepts, commandments, instructions and laws given by the Most High, which, in turn, would provide the nation with the perpetual promise of provisions for food, clothes and shelter, effectively securing eternal life for those bound to the covenant. We witness this principle guaranteed to Israel in the scroll of Deuteronomy when Moshe declared
And it shall be, if you diligently obey the voice of YHWH your Elohim, to guard to do all His commands which I command you today, that YHWH your Elohim shall set you high above all nations on the earth, and all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of YHWH your Elohim (Deuteronomy 28.1-2).
Conversely, there is also the promise of a curse, which includes loss of food, clothes and shelter, that remains when the covenant is not guarded and the people commit spiritual adultery on YHWH.
And it shall be, if you do not obey the voice of YHWH your Elohim, to guard to do all His commands and His laws which I command you today, that all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you…and all these curses shall come upon you, and they shall pursue you and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of YHWH your Elohim, to guard His commands and His Laws which He commanded you. And they shall be upon you for a sign and for a wonder, and on your seed, forever (Deuteronomy 28.15, 45-46).
It is for the sole reason of breaking the covenant that today we find the actual and true seed of Israel suffering so much at the hands of disease, poverty and violence. With the recent re-escalation of state sponsored terrorism in the form of police brutality being carried out in the United States against so-called African-Americans, it becomes all to clear that the curses of the covenant are still being carried out as we can see the prophetic words of Jeremiah once again being fulfilled in our streets;
For death has come through our windows, has entered our palaces, cutting off the children from the streets, and the young men from the squares, speak, ‘thus declares YHWH, the corpses of men shall fall as dung on the face of the field, like cuttings after the reaper with none to gather them…(Jeremiah 9.21-22).
Therefore, only until we as a people return to the Torah and embrace the terms and conditions of the covenant, we will continue to experience the curses that are laid out in Scripture. In this regard, however, it becomes evident that due to the interruption of our cultural and historical continuum, we have lost the knowledge of what the covenants consist, and therefore have continued to fall victim to the words of Hoshea which declares
My people have perished for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being priest for Me. Since you have forgotten the Torah of your Elohim, I also forget your children (Hoshea 4.6).
Our only solution is in rediscovering our agreement with Heaven and seeking to restore our connection with our Creator by keeping the covenant as it is written,
…the loving-commitment of YHWH is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children, to those who guard His covenant, and to those who remember His orders to do them (Psalm 103.16-17).
THE COVENANTS
The Adamic/Edenic Covenant
The first covenant that is revealed in Scripture is that with the patriarch Adam in the Garden of Eden. There, Adam is given a four-fold directive and single prohibitive act to carry out in the garden, which are to
- reflect the image and likeness in which he was created
- to reign over creation and
- to reproduce both spiritually and physically on earth[1].
- to partake of a vegetarian diet and
- abstain from eating from the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
- Rest on the Sabbath
With these directives, it was the intent of YHWH to establish the manifest Kingdom of Heaven on Earth through Adam’s obedience to the one prohibitive command that he was given; to not eat of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. However, because of Adam’s disobedience to the commandment, we find that a renewed covenant was made with him. This covenant would entail a much more dire and burdensome task for Adam and his progeny due to the corrupted state of consciousness into which he descended. At this point, we find these new terms and conditions given to Adam:
…because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, saying, do not eat of it: cursed is the ground because of you, in toil you are to eat of it all the days of your life, and the ground shall bring forth thorns and thistles for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the seat of your face you are to eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust you return (Genesis 3.17-19).
This new chapter in the life of Adam presented an entirely new reality in that, most drastically, he was now to become acquainted with death, something that had not been created nor intended for him to experience. Secondly, his environment had been completely altered being that he was exiled from the land that he was given and placed in by the Most High. And lastly, the means by which he was to secure the necessities of life now required greater effort from him as opposed to the almost labor free existence that had once known. This altered state for Adam presented him with great challenges heretofore unknown. We find that this covenant was instituted with the shedding of blood, which later would become the most significant element for ratifying and sealing of a covenant, when Adam and his bride were given coats of skin by YHWH who had provided atonement for their life with the life of an animal. A most profound reality and the hallmark of this Adamic Covenant is that the atoning sacrifice and shedding of blood was executed by YHWH, which we will also see take place with the last covenant that has been sealed with Israel. This face demonstrates the consistency, continuity and magnanimity of our heavenly Father!
Interestingly, it is the initial covenant that Adam received which humanity will once again experience after going through the necessary process of atonement to get back to the original covenant that will be what the redeemed Israelites and Gentiles will experience in the New Jerusalem and the New Earth at the advent of the Messianic Age.
The Noachic Covenant
Considered the Universal Laws for humankind, the Noachic Covenant is the result of the regeneration of humanity after the cataclysmic event of the flood which wiped out the wicked on the Earth and repopulated it through the lineage of Noach. It is considered the Universal Laws for humanity due to the fact that the terms and conditions that it prescribes are the basic requirements for anyone who is not of the Israelite bloodline to observe upon their entrance into the household of faith. According to Israelite tradition, the Noachic covenant is what every Israelite is to teach the other nations so that every Gentile who hears of the teachings of this covenant will have an opportunity to experience life in the World to Come, known in Hebrew as the olam ha’ba.
The Noahic Covenant is based on six prohibitive laws and one injunction, which both the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmud identify as:
- Murder is forbidden
- Theft is forbidden
- Incestuous and adulterous relations are forbidden
- Eating the flesh of a living animal is forbidden
- Idolatry is forbidden
- Cursing the name of YHWH is forbidden (blasphemy)
- Mankind is commanded to establish courts of justice
Similar in intent to the Adamic Covenant, as well as a continuity of Spiritual consciousness to be attained by humanity, as are all of the future covenants, the Noachic covenant was given in order to establish a spiritual precedent on earth that would allow for the Shekinah presence of YHWH to again be present on Earth. Also instituted with the shedding of blood, this covenant ultimately promises not to destroy the entire human race as we know again with water.
And Noach built an altar to YHWH, and took of every clean beast and of every clean bird, and offered ascending offerings on the altar. And YHWH smelled a soothing fragrance, and YHWH said in His heart, ‘never again shall I curse the ground because of man, although the inclination of man’s heart is evil from his youth, and never again strike all living creatures, as I have done, as long as the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease (Genesis 8.20-22).
The first express covenant that has blood as a central tenet in its content, it is made clear that blood is established as the very life force of a creature, whether man or beast, and must not be consumed nor spilled senselessly.
But do not eat flesh with its life, its blood. But only your blood for your lives I require, from the hand of every beast I require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I require the life of man. Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood is shed, for in the image of Elohim has He made man (Genesis 9.4-6).
We see this covenant later during the second Temple times come play a crucial role when dealing with the Gentiles, as the Jerusalem Council, headed by Ya’aqov ha Tzaddik (James the Just), the brother of Mashiyach Yahoshua ben Yoseph, ruled that in order for Gentiles to
abstain from the defilements of idols, and from whoring, and from what is strangled (Acts 15.20).
For it is through the Noachic covenant that everyone on earth will have an opportunity to experience life in the world to come.
The Abrahamic Covenant
And it came to be when Abram was ninety-nine years old, that YHWH appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am El Shaddai-walk before me and be perfect. And I shall give My covenant between Me and you, and shall greatly increase you.’ And Abram fell on his face, and Elohim spoke with him, saying, ‘As for Me, look, My covenant is with you, and you shall become a father of many nations. And no longer is your name called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, because I shall make you a father of many nations. And I shall make you exceedingly fruitful, and make nations of you, and sovereigns shall come from you. And I shall establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be Elohim to you and your seed after you. And I shall give to you and your seed after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Kena‘an, as an everlasting possession. And I shall be their Elohim.’ And Elohim said to Abraham, ‘as for you, guard My covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant which you guard between Me and you, and your seed after you: every male child among you is to be circumcised. And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall become a sign of the covenant between Me and you. And a son of eight days is circumcised by you, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with silver from any foreigner who is not your seed. He who is born in your house, and he who is bought with your silver, has to be circumcised. So shall My covenant be in your flesh, for an everlasting covenant (Genesis 17.1-13).
The initial agreement made with Abraham is found in Genesis 12 when YHWH calls for Abraham to leave the land of his origins to a land which YHWH was to show him, where he was to become a great nation, receive blessings and a great name. This contract also states that YHWH will bless those who bless [Abraham], and curse him who curses [Abraham]. And in [Abraham] all the clans of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 12.2-3). After enduring seven of his ten trials, the full scope of the covenant that was initially made at Genesis 15 was laid out in full detail and was brought to its fullness with the covenant of circumcision. And according to Hillel ben David on his website The Watchman, the Abrahamic Covenant
constitutes a legal contract between HaShem and man where each takes on obligations and burdens. This covenant is a major cornerstone upon which the Bnai Israel, the Children of Israel, stands…[as]…the subject of the covenant was the grant of the land of Israel to the children of Avraham.
Given this all important development relating to the household of faith, the Abrahamic Covenant can be seen as a redefining legal document given to Israel that serves as the cornerstone which established their national reality in the course of prophetic history. Based upon the responsibility of every male child born descended from Abraham to be circumcised on the eighth day, as well as perfect adherence to the Torah, the promises extended to Abraham’s descendants by YHWH can be identified as follows:
- The promise of offspring, and hence eternal life &
- The everlasting promise of the land of Israel.
As the proverbial father of faith, the clear demonstration of Abraham’s faithfulness to the Word of YHWH caused him to be reckoned by YHWH as righteous. As one of earliest exemplification’s of the Way of the Walk, Abraham has become the epitome of faithfulness as relates to the covenant, and is also considered the progenitor of the three major world religions. However, it is clear, as written the TaNaK, that Abraham was a Torah observant Hebrew who learned the traditions of his forefathers through the teachings of Noah, Shem and Ever. But with the successive continuation of the generational evolution of consciousness, Abraham had come to receive, at his time, one of the greatest revelations of the reality of YHWH, due to his exposure to the sophisticated arts and sciences of the Chaldeans. Through his rational judgment and discernment, Abraham was able to pierce through the darkness of idolatry and perceive the reality of the Creator who had found a worthy vessel to bestow one of, if not the greatest promises to humanity of all time.
On account of this it is of belief-obedience, that it be according to favor, for the promise to be made certain to all the seed, not only to those who are of the Torah, but also to those who are of the belief of Abraham, who is father of us all–as it has been written, ‘I have made you a father of many nations’–in the presence of Him whom he believed, even Elohim, who gives life to the dead and calls that which does not exist as existing, who against all expectation did believe, in expectation, so that he should become father of many nations, according to what was said, ‘so shall your seed be” (Romans 4.16-18).
The Mosaic Covenant
Prior to the Mosaic Covenant, all covenants that YHWH made with humanity were on an individual basis; now the covenant was to be established between YHWH and an entire nation of people. Established at Mount Sinai in the Arabian Peninsula on the Day of Shavuot, this covenant establishes the entire nation of Israel as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19.6) given that Israel would diligently obey [the] voice [of YHWH], and shall guard [His] covenant, then [they] would be [YHWH’s] treasured possession above all the peoples (Exodus 19.5).
Considered as the actual wedding between Heaven and Earth, we witness the exchange of vows, as Israel pledges to love YHWH by devoting their lives to Him stating, “all that YHWH has spoken we shall do (Exodus 19.8), and the consummation of the marriage sealed with the shedding of blood; and Moshe took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, ‘see, the blood of the covenant which YHWH has made with you concerning all these words (Exodus 24.8).
Established upon the conditions of the enumeration of the 613 commandments of Torah, we find the codification of this covenant highlighted by the Ten Commandments written on two tablets of stone. Interestingly, this covenant is the only one made with the people of Israel that does not entail in promises from YHWH, but prescribes specific injunctions upon the people Israel. These 613 commandments, which consist of 365 negative commandments and 268 positive commandments, according to the Sephardic Jewish scholar Moses ben Maimon (aka the Rambam) can be categorized as such:
- Commandments relating to Elohim
- Commandments relating to Torah
- Commandments relating to signs and symbols
- Commandments relating to prayers and blessings
- Commandments relating to love and brotherhood
- Commandments relating to the poor and unfortunate
- Commandments relating to the treatment of Gentiles
- Commandments relating to marriage, divorce and family
- Commandments relating to forbidden sexual relations
- Commandments relating to times and seasons
- Commandments relating to dietary laws
- Commandments relating to business practices
- Commandments relating to employees, servants and slaves
- Commandments relating to vows, oaths and swearing
- Commandments relating to the Sabbatical and Jubilee years
- Commandments relating to the Court and Judicial procedure
- Commandments relating to injuries and damages
- Commandments relating to property and property rights
- Commandments relating to criminal laws
- Commandments relating to punishment and restitution
- Commandments relating to prophecy
- Commandments relating to idolatry, idolaters and idolatrous practices
- Commandments relating to agriculture and animal husbandry
- Commandments relating to clothing
- Commandments relating to the firstborn
- Commandments relating to the Kohanim and Levites
- Commandments relating to gift offerings, tithes and taxation
- Commandments relating to the Temple, Sanctuary and sacred objects
- Commandments relating to sacrifices and offerings
- Commandments relating to ritual purity and impurity
- Commandments relating to lepers and leprosy
- Commandments relating to the King
- Commandments relating to Nazarites
- Commandments relating to wars
With these instructions, we have formal codification of the written Torah, as well as the express constitution of the nation of Israel delivered given for the sole purpose of unifying the order of the nation. In addition, it is through the revelation of this covenant that the most clear definition of sin is given to Israel and humanity, in order to delineate what is righteous from wicked, clean from unclean and what is set-apart from profane. This distinction, though present in the previous ages, now became an unquestionable standard of truth with the Mosaic Covenant, as, in fact, the entire oral tradition of the Torah had now become a formalized code written down to be transmitted to future generations. This is what Shaul or Tarsus writes on in his letter to Rome when he states
And the command which was to result in life, this I found to result in death. For sin, having taken the occasion through the command, deceived me, and through it killed me. So that the Torah truly is set-apart, and the command set-apart, and righteous, and good. Therefore, has that which is good become death to me? Let it not be! But the sin, that sin might be manifest, was working death in me though what is good, so that sin though the command might become an exceedingly great Sinner. For we know that the Torah is Spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin (Romans 7.10-14).
It is this spiritual reality of the Mosaic Covenant that has spawned so much controversy and misunderstanding in the Western, Christian world as relates to the central role of Torah, the feature of the Mosaic Covenant. Yet it is this very covenant that provides Israel and humanity with the clearest expression of the Will of YHWH; that good and well-pleasing and perfect desire of Elohim (Romans 12.3).
For it is only through loving adherence of this covenant, again which demonstrates our most devout love for our heavenly Father, that one will receive the sanctification of the soul in order to receive the Holy Spirit and experience rebirth into the household of faith in order to partake in the promise of eternal life in the Promised Land,
Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to complete. For truly, I say to you, till the heaven and the earth pass away, one yod or one tittle shall by no means pass from the Torah till all be done. Whoever, then, breaks one of the least of these commands, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the reign of the heavens; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the reign of the heavens. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the reign of the heavens (Matthew 5.17-20).
The Levitical Covenant
The most gruesome and bloody of all covenants was that of the Levitical Priesthood. It is speculated that YHWH choose the tribe of Levi to serve as priests due to the dual reality of Leah stating that the meaning of her third born’s son name was to conjoin (Genesis 29.34), and the bloody episode of Levi and Shimon slaughtering the entire clan of Shechemites (Genesis 34.25-31), effectively nullifying Levi from receiving any inheritance within the national tribal structure of Israel.
The first mentioning of this special role that Israel was to play for YHWH can be found in the book of Exodus:
And you shall bring Aharon and his sons to the door of the Tent of Appointment and wash them water. And you shall put the set–apart garments of Aharon, and anoint him and set him apart to serve as priest to Me. And you shall bring his sons and put long shirts on them, and shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, and they shall serve as priests to Me. And their anointing shall be for them an everlasting priesthood through their generations (Exodus 40.12-15).
It is this consecration of the tribe of Levi that served as the conjoining link between YHWH and the nation, as they were the tribe who were officiate at the Tabernacle and the Temple, as well as to provide atonement for the entire people until the perfect offering was made by the Messiah. Yet, while the Temple was standing, and up unto the death of Mashiyach, we find that the Levitical covenant served the most important role of ensuring the sanctity of the nation.
‘And you shall know that I have sent this command to you, as being My covenant with Levi, said YHWH of hosts. ‘My covenant with him was life and peace, and I gave them to him, to fear. And he feared Me, and stood in awe of My name. The Torah of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and straightness, and turned many away from crookedness. For the lips of the priest should guard knowledge, and they seek the Torah from his mouth, for he is the messenger of YHWH of hosts (Malaki 2.4-6).
We see that this covenant, too, was sealed in blood as the Torah records that both Aharon and his sons were sprinkled with blood in order to ordain the tribe of Levi into the priesthood;
And he brought the second ram, the ram of ordination, and Aharon and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram, and it was slain. And Moshe took some of the blood and put it on the tip of Aharon’s right ear, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. And he brought near the sons of Aharon, and Moshe put some of the blood on the tips of their right ears, and on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. And Moshe sprinkled the blood on the altar all around (Levitics 8.22-24).
Tied intimately to the altar at the Jerusalem Temple, the Levitical Covenant only has its standing as long as the Temple was erected. However, once the Temple was razed by the Romans in 70 AD/CE, the Levitical Covenant and Priesthood was suspended due to the need of offering sacrifices no longer being needed. However, according the prophet Ezekiel, himself a Levite, there will come a time when the priesthood and the Levitical Covenant will again be reinstituted:
Yet I shall make them those who guard the duty of the House, for all its work, and for all that has to be done in it. But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Tsadoq, who guarded the duty of My set–apart place when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall draw near to Me to serve Me, and shall stand before Me to bring to Me the fat and the blood, declares the Master YHWH. They shall enter My set–apart place, and they shall draw near to My table to serve Me, and they shall guard My charge…And they are to teach My people the difference between the set–apart and the profane, and make them know what is unclean and clean. And they are to stand as judges in a dispute, and judge it according to My right–rulings. And they are to guard My Torot and My laws in all My appointed festivals, and set–apart My Sabbaths (Ezekiel 44.14-16, 23-24).
The Davidic Covenant
And now, say to My servant David, ‘Thus said YHWH of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great ones who are on the earth. And I shall appoint a place for My people Israel, and shall plant them, and they shall dwell in a place of their own and no longer be afraid, neither shall the children of wickedness oppress them again, as at the first, even from the day I commanded rulers over My people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. And YHWH has declared to you that He would make you a house. When your days are filled and you rest with your fathers, I shall raise up your seed after you, who comes from inward parts, and shall establish his reign. He does build a house for My Name, and I shall establish the throne of his reign forever. I am to be his Father, and he is My son. If he does perversely, I shall reprove him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My loving–commitment does not turn aside from him, as I turned it aside from Shaul, whom I removed from before you. And your house and your reign are to be steadfast forever before you—your throne is established forever (2 Samuel 7.8-16).
The King of Israel is to be from the Tribe of Yahudah, the tribe from David hailed, as we unmistakably read in the words written in the passage above. Having its origin in the book of Genesis, the Tribe of Yahudah was destined to assume the mantle of rulership due to the leadership qualities of tribes namesake following the unfortunate series of events that led to his brother Yoseph being sold into slavery with the Egyptians. From that point forward, Yahudah, the son of Israel, rises to each and every occasion to serve his father and brothers with the courageous heart that only a leader can. As a result of this, we find the prophetic words of Israel spoken to Yahudah on his death bed,
You, Yahudah, your brothers praise you; your hand is on the neck of your enemies; your father’s children bow down before you. Yahudah is a lion’s cub; from the prey you have gone up, my son! He bowed down, he crouched like a lion. and like a lion, who does rouse him? The scepter shall not turn aside from Yahudah, nor an Inscriber from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to Him is the obedience of the peoples. Binding his donkey to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his robes in the blood grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk (Genesis 49.8-12).
Affirming the superiority of the throne of David over every other temporal kingdom on earth, it is this covenant that asserts the ultimate reality of the sovereignty of YHWH in and throughout creation. Accessing the lion tribe of Yahudah as the vehicle to manifest this rule, it establishes the holy city of Jerusalem as the epicenter and headquarters of this heavenly reality on earth. Knowns as the City of David, Tsiyon has become synonymous with, not only the regal nature of the nation of Israel, but also the soon coming Kingdom of the Messiah, who will establish His throne during the Millennial age in this very city;
But I, I have set My Sovereign on Tsiyon, My set–apart mountain. I inscribe for a law: YHWH has said to Me, You are My Son, today I have brought You forth. Ask of Me, and I make the nations Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth Your possession (Psalm 2.6-8).
Interestingly, this is the only covenant that is not instituted with blood. It is however, given through prophecy by the mouth of the prophet Nathan, one of David’s most trusted and faithful servants in his kingdom. However, being that David was considered a man of blood for his victorious campaigns that he waged against the surrounding enemies, it can be argued that the blood that David shed during his life on the field of battle sufficed. It was for this very reason that David was not allowed to build the Jerusalem Temple, which was honor conferred upon his son Solomon who went on to become the successor to the throne.
It must also be stated that the Mosaic covenant stipulated that there was to be no Gentiles who were to rule among the children of Israel;
When you come to the land which YHWH your Elohim is giving you, and shall possess it and shall dwell in it, and you shall say, ‘let me set a sovereign over me like all the nations that are around me,’ you shall certainly set a sovereign over you whom YHWH your Elohim shall choose. Set a sovereign over you from among your brothers, you are not allowed to set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother (Deuteronomy 17.14-15).
The Renewed/Messianic Covenant
Some two thousand fourteen years ago, a most special festival dinner took place in an upper room in Jerusalem. There were thirteen souls present at this sedar for the Passover meal, and the most gracious host had the daunting task of conveying to his guests that this particular meal was to forever change the entire scope and meaning of this historic night from that moment forward. Something truly miraculous was in the making; a new understanding that was not readily perceived that night but would later come to transform the very nature of eleven of those twelve guests who then go on to change the world.
And as they were eating, Yahoshua took bread, having blessed, broke it, gave it to them and said, ‘take, eat, this is My body.’ And taking the cup, giving thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, ‘this is My blood, that of the renewed covenant, which is shed for many. Truly, I say to you, I shall certainly no more drink of the fruit of the vine till that day when I drink it anew in the reign of Elohim (Mark 14.22-25).
Herein we see the fulfillment of all the six previous covenants coming to pass. For with this single event on the night of Passover, every covenant that had been given was summarily condensed into the restorative act that took place not long after this meal when Mashiyach Yahoshua ben Yoseph was executed on the hill of Golgotha and shed His blood to atone for the sins of the world, as well as usher in the promise of the Renewed Covenant as foretold by the prophet Jeremiah;
‘See,’ the days are coming, declares YHWH, ‘when I shall make a renewed covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Yahudah, not like the covenant I made with their fathers in the day when I strengthened their hand to bring them out of the land of Mitzrayim, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them,’ declares YHWH. ‘For this is the covenant that I shall make with the house of Israel after those days, declares YHWH: ‘I shall put My Torah in their inward parts, and write it on their hearts. And I shall be their Elohim and they shall be My people (Jeremiah 31.31-34).
It is truly amazing to be able to receive the revelation of the renewed covenant though the atoning works of Mashiyach Yahoshua in that those who have come to acknowledge and accept the prophetic nature of the Word made flesh have also taken on the self-same essence of the Master Rabbi from Nazareth. As the Promised Seed of Abraham, and the Son spoken of in the Davidic covenant of promise, Yahoshua has entered into the exclusive role of the Mediator of the renewed covenant and has dispatched His Spirit to minister to us so that we who have been reborn are able to see and enter the reign of Elohim, which is found within (Luke 17.21). This is the reality that was Adam was to experience and bring forth on earth and why Shaul or Tarsus wrote these words,
And so it has been written, ‘the first man Adam became a living being,’ the last Adam a life-giving Spirit. The spiritual, however, was not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, earthy; the second Man is the Master from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have born the likeness of the earthy, we shall also bear the likeness of the heavenly. And this I say, brothers, that flesh and blood is unable to inherit the reign of Elohim, neither does corruption inherit corruption (1 Corinthians 15.45-50).
With this we are able to see the continuity and sheer magnificence of the Covenants of YHWH. All of them, perfectly ordered and dispensed at the right time, have allowed for the maturation of the nation of Israel, and the Gentiles who have come to accept the terms, conditions and promises of YHWH, to unfold within the seven days of creation. With the purpose of the covenants being to restore the original order of creation back to Earth through the seed of Israel, we are able to ascertain that this process is a matter of repairing the breech that has taken place between YHWH and Israel through the breaking of the covenant by Israel. Here is where the works of Yahoshua become paramount in serving to bridge that gap, and provide a propitiation for the failures and missteps of the promised seed. We can look at this again, in terms of marriage experiencing a rededication after a hapless deed of infidelity. And throughout Scripture, time and time again, we read that the people Israel are repeatedly referred to as a woman. Therefore, when we read the words of the prophet Hoshea, we can get a glimpse of the love that YHWH has for Israel and what He is willing to set aside in order to reclaim the bride of His youth and shower her with the promises that He has extended through His ketubah:
Therefore, see, I am alluring her, and shall lead her into the wilderness, and shall speak to her heart, and give to her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Akor as a door of expectation. And there she shall respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Mitzrayim. And it shall be, in that day, declares YHWH, that you call Me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer call Me ‘My Ba’al.’ And I shall remove the names of the Ba’alim from her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name. And in that day I shall make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the birds of the heavens, and with the creeping creatures of the ground, when bow, and sword and battle I break from the earth. And I shall make them lie down in safety. And I shall take you as a bride unto Me forever, and take you as a bride unto Me in righteousness, and in right-ruling, and loving-commitment and compassion. And I shall take you as a bride unto Me in trustworthiness, and you shall know YHWH. And it shall be in that day that I answer, declares YHWH, that I answer the heavens, and they answer the earth, and the earth answer the grain and the new wine and the oil, and they answer Yizre’el. And I shall sow her for Myself in the earth, and I shall have compassion onher who had not obtained compassion. And I shall say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people,’ while they say, ‘My Elohim’ (Hoshea 2.14-23).
Selah…
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[1] Genesis 1.26-28
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