In-Depth Studies

I was doing some reading in Scripture and I came across Numbers 28. This is the chapter that describes the various offerings that must be done in the nation of Israel. There are the daily offerings, the Sabbath offerings, the monthly offerings, etc. Now, to be honest I normally do not find this portion of Scripture very stimulating. I typically race through it to get to something that it is more interesting or relevant. The detailed descriptions of the various offerings that were to be done by Israelites seem not only to be tedious reading but also a tedious way to live. So… how do we make sense of this section of Scripture. It is the word of God and therefore it is profitable for us to study (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The challenge is to find out how we are to view this passage so that we can find a proper application for our lives.I believe that the answer lies in the concept of offering or sacrifice in both an Old Covenant and New Covenant sense. From an Old Covenant point of view the sacrifices of the Mosaic Law were required by God yet from a New Covenant perspective they did not take away any sin.

But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. (Hebrews 10:3)

First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you please with them” (although the law required them to be made). Then he said, ” Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:8-10)

The author of Hebrews is making the point that the offerings and sacrifices were required by God in the Old Covenant era yet they did not secure the forgiveness of sins. What then was the purpose of those sacrifices? When we repeatedly read in Leviticus that the doing of the proper sacrifice or will bring about forgiveness (Leviticus 4:26) what are we make of this? It would seem that in light of the teaching passages in the New Covenant era on the subject of Old Covenant sacrifices and offerings we are to understand that the sacrifices and offerings never paid for the sin of the one who was offering the sacrifice. It did give them a right standing in the nation of Israel but not acceptance by the God of Israel. Only the death of Jesus Christ on the cross can accomplish the forgiveness of sins.  So, the sacrifices and offerings of the Old Covenant era functioned only as a picture of something that the death of Jesus on the cross would accomplish. If you only read the Old Testament that truth would not be very clear. Therefore we must read the Old through the lens of the New.

In the New Covenant era the subject of sacrifice is dealt with in a very different way. Jesus did offer himself as our sacrifice on the cross to pay for our sins. Yet we are told to offer our bodies as living sacrifices.

Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1)

The believer in the New Covenant era is not burdened with the tedious sacrifices and offerings that were the responsibility of the Israelites under the Old Covenant. Our Savior has made the perfect sacrifice for us and as a result of that we are unconditionally accepted by the Father. But there is a sense in which our lives are characterized by sacrifices. We are to be a living sacrifice to our Lord. All of life must be lived for Him. This is what we will desire to do if we have a new heart, and all those who have their sins forgiven will also have a new heart (Hebrews 10:14). So, in the New Covenant era sacrifice still dominates the people of God just as it dominated the lives of the picture of the people of God in the Old Covenant era. Only in this era the sacrifice that is required is a life that is motivated to do all things for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). 

So as you read the Scriptures please take the time to understand the significance of each portion. It all has meaning for us. All we need to do is to understand why it is there and our boredom will be extinguished.

Category : Author: Geoff Volker, In-Depth Studies Blog, New Covenant Theology, The Bible, Theology Applied

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In Romans 9:22-29 the apostle Paul seems to be giving an explanation to the question of why did God make the non-elect if he had no intention of saving them. His answer is that the non-elect have a part to play in the salvation of the elect. When their role is over then hell will begin. As tough as this answer is my concern is not with Paul’s anwer but with his use of Old Testament scripture to make his point. He quotes Hosea 2:23 and Hosea 1:10 to show that God’s plan has all along been to populate the real people of God with mostly Gentiles. When one looks at the context of both passages from Hosea it is easy to see that the prophet is only talking about ethnic Israel. The Gentiles are not mentioned in the book. But, Paul seems, at least on the surface, to disregard the original context and give the passages a whole new meaning. How are we to understand Paul’s use of the Old Testament?It does seem to me that the book of Hosea is only talking about Israel. In fact, it is a history of the rebellion of the people of Israel in spite of their being the recipients of amazing love from the God of Israel. So… what is really going on? First of all, Paul is writing under the controlling influence of the Holy Spirit. His writings were described as being equally authoritative as the Old Testament scriptures (2 Peter 3:15-16). We cannot say that Paul read something into the passages that was not there by the design of the God of scripture. Paul clearly states that the passages in Hosea were talking about the Gentiles coming to saving faith in the new covenant era. 

Romans 9:24-26 9 (NIV)                                                                                                                                even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? As he says in Hosea:         I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people: and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved       one, and, It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they         will be be called ’sons of the living God.’

Paul is stating that the promise to Israel of future restoration is fulfilled by the coming of the New Covenant era and the establishing of the real people of God who are made up of mostly Gentiles. He is speaking of New Covenant fulfillment in Old Covenant language. Another way of saying this is that the only way that you would be able to understand the true fulfillment of these passages is interpret the old through the lens of the new. God is his own interpreter and he gives us the true meaning of his scripture.                                

Why would God give to Old Covenant Israel only part of the picture? It would seem to me that since Israel was only a temporary, unbelieving picture of the people of God they only needed to understand the passage as speaking of Israel as a picture of what God was going to do through the real people of God, even though they did not grasp the role of Israel as a picture of the people of God. We, on the other hand, who are believers this side of Pentecost in the New Covenant era need to grasp the full meaning of the promise. Therefore we are given the meaning of its true fulfillment. Paul was carefully handling the passages from the book of Hosea. He used these passages in a context that conveyed their true meaning in the New Covenant era.                                                                                                                                       

As we read God’s word we need to be careful to let God interpret his own word. We need to set aside our presuppositions and observe how the biblical writers handled Old Testament passages when they are quoted in the New. To say that since God gave the promise to Israel of its restoration the fulfillment of that promise must of necessity require a literal restoration of ethnic Israel is to impose on that scripture a requirement that God does not impose. God is his own interpreter.

Category : Author: Geoff Volker, In-Depth Studies Blog, New Covenant Theology

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