Do Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly

If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us.

This is the fifth post from Chapter 8 of Friends With God: God’s Friendship With Israel And The Church.

This chapter is about the similarities and differences between the Old and New Covenants.

In this post we will consider what both these covenant agreements are based on, and some common misconceptions people have about them.

As discussed in the second post in this series, a covenant is simply an agreement between two or more people who are in a relationship, and place such a great deal of importance on that relationship, that in order to clarify it, they write down the terms of the relationship. In the process of writing the covenant the words consequently express the character of those in that agreement.

A marriage is a covenant, and, like all covenants, is not a casual thing to pick up and let go of, according to whatever is going on in one’s life.

A covenant made with the very God of heaven is therefore of exceedingly great importance, and God’s covenants are a direct expression and manifestation of his very character and of our relationship with him. So, it follows naturally that God’s covenants are based on love, as are the Laws/ Commandments of those covenants. God commands us to choose to love him and our neighbour:

While God is commanding us, he is commanding us to choose to love him, which is a voluntary act, not one of coercion. Any covenant with God is therefore for our benefit, because of the love that God has for all human beings:

For God so loved the world (all people), that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish (die forever), but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

The Foundation Of Love In Both Covenants

Love cannot be forced; it must be chosen voluntarily because it is not just a matter of the mind, of the will, but also of the heart. The same is true for being in a covenant; it must be voluntarily entered into or it is not valid.

Both Covenants are chock full of admonitions to love God, and one another.

• What are your favourite scriptures regarding love in the Bible?

Following are just a few examples I have found to highlight the integral nature of love within these two Covenants:

· You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall always rebuke your neighbour, and not allow sin on him. (as an act of love, you need to correct him when he is wrong) You shall not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people; but you shall love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord. (Lev 19:17-18)

· The stranger (foreigner, gentile) that dwells with you (in Israel) shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself. For you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. (Lev 19:34) (Yet the stranger must also obey the Laws of the land, or reap the consequences like the native born.)

· And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deut 6:5)

· Therefore, know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations. (Deut 7:9)

· And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, (Deut 10:12)

· Only, diligently take heed to do the commands and the Law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and to cleave to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Joshua 22:5)

· He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

· Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves another has fulfilled the Law. (Rom 13:8)

· For, brethren, you have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. (Gal 5:13)

· You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy." (which is not in the law of God, but is part of the Oral Law of the Jews) But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you, so that you may become sons of your Father in Heaven. (Matt 5:43-45)

· I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph 4:1-3)

· And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: (1Thes 3:12)

· But as touching brotherly love you need not that I write unto you: for you yourselves are taught of God to love one another. (1Thes 4:9)

· And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Heb_10:24

· Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently: (1Peter 1:22)

· Finally, be you all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: (1Peter 3:8)

· For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. (1John 3:11)

· Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us. (1John 4:11-12)

What are your favourite scriptures on love?

While both covenants are based on love, there are some important differences, one of which is circumcision, which is not required of gentiles, as explained in post three of this series.

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Love Is Not Domination

As discussed in the previous post, God does not require gentiles to be circumcised in the New Covenant, yet Timothy, being a Jew was required to be circumcised. We are therefore left with the question:

As the New Covenant includes both Jew and gentile, why would Timothy, being a Jew, be required to be circumcised as if he was under the requirements of the Old Covenant? (Acts 16:1-5)

Before we answer this question, we need to note the assumption evident in the phrase “under the requirements of the Old Covenant”.

I have deliberately used this phrase because that is the way most people will pose the question. However, in reality a covenant is not something we are “under”, it’s something that both parties voluntarily agree to.

This is not mere semantics. Any covenant agreement made between two people must be voluntarily made, without any coercion, and with both people in sound mind- or it’s simply not valid. To be “under a covenant” can imply that it has been foisted upon one, which would actually make the covenant void.

It also seems to imply that there are weak partners in the covenant who are at some kind of disadvantage, and that there is a powerful partner who has the upper hand and all the advantages. It is an inappropriate way to describe being in a covenant of love that promises us the gift of eternal life as the Children of God!

To start this discussion, we need to be clear regarding the meaning of the terms used, such that we are never “under” a covenant. Rather we are “in” a covenant, be it with God or anyone else. While this may seem pedantic, it’s actually quite critical to understanding our relationship with God- who is the other party to these covenant agreements.

More Assumptions To Address

To therefore explore the correct terms of the covenants that we are in with God, we must restate my above question, as such:

As the terms of the New Covenant are applicable to both Jew and gentile, why would Timothy, being a Jew, be expected to be circumcised as if he was strictly within the terms of the Old Covenant?

There is, however, yet one more assumption within this restated question: it is assumed from this question that you can’t be in both the New Covenant and the Old Covenant at the same time.

The assumed exclusiveness of these two covenants is taken for granted by most Christian and Jewish scholars. This is no doubt because one is called New and the other the Old, yet is it a valid assumption?

So, “could a Jew be in both the New Covenant and the Israelite Covenant, without contradiction to either?” If so, then there would simply not be any problem with Timothy’s having been circumcised, as is required in the Israelite Covenant.

Therefore, in order to find out why Timothy was required to be circumcised, we first need to address these two common assumptions about the Old and New Covenants:

· Is it possible for the Old Covenant to be truly voluntary, like any other covenant agreement?

· And could a Jew be in both the Israelite Covenant and the New Covenant without contravening or being in contradiction of the terms of either?

The Voluntary Nature Of The Old Covenant

In order for the Old Covenant to be a true covenant, and not just a set of national laws (as it’s generally defined), then it should be voluntarily entered into by all parties. Yet, how is this possible, as all children in Israel were automatically born into it?

Children were citizens of Israel, and were included in the covenant before they had any choice in the matter. Not that this is any different from all other societies, as children simply have no choice regarding what laws they are governed by. The distinction here is that God includes the laws of the land as part of a ‘covenant’ between the people and himself, which implies a voluntary agreement.

Agreement to the terms of any covenant also implies the understanding of the sanctions for breaking the agreement. If a Jew chooses not to keep the Passover, or the Day of Atonement, or chooses to eat blood and do many other forbidden things, then such a person was “cut off” from being in Israel. (Num 9:13, Lev 17:10-14, Lev 23:29)

There is no specific statement as to what being “cut off” meant, but it was a serious penalty, resulting in ostracism, exile or death. How therefore can a child, being born into this covenant, voluntarily agree to these and other conditions of it? That depends on the other terms of the covenant, as explained below.

Unlike any other nation, the intent of the law in the Old Covenant was not simply to ensure obedience for the sake of keeping peace in the land. The covenant also directed people to love God in order for them to develop their transcendent potential to become the very sons of God!

As discussed previously, Hebrews chapter 11 identifies many people in the Old Covenant who developed a relationship with God, such that they too will be in the first resurrection with those in the New Covenant. (Isa 25:8-9, 1Thes 4:16) The Old Covenant was therefore something which far surpassed simply being a wise, complex, and just national law.

Without love for God and neighbour, everything in the law and prophets falls down, as they all hang on love. The crux of the Old Covenant, as Jesus said, is love:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Mat 22:36-40)

The law is not a one-way statement of requirements. Everything depends upon Israel being willing to obey these laws in an attitude of love for God and neighbour.

Obey The Law In Love

These two laws were the most important laws, because they told people how to understand and obey the rest of the laws. Yet love is voluntary. It’s not something we can be forced to do. Therefore, no matter if you were a child or an adult, you could not obey the law of God unless you also first loved God and loved your neighbour.

Children or adults would first need to voluntarily grow in this understanding of the law, or they could never fulfil the requirements of the Old Covenant.

• Love therefore is the critical element that you need to understand in both covenants, in order to actually be in covenant with God.

And once in covenant we need to continue to grow in love and understanding of God:

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. (2Peter 3:18)

The Old Covenant was therefore not something that children were in fact born into, they had to voluntarily grow into it, as they matured, appreciated, understood and inculcated the element of love that is at its foundation.

Not just children but everyone in Israel benefited from living in the care and protection of God and of one another. Which is real peace and safety. It’s not just about law and order and having a nice tidy place to live, with “the trains running on time”.

Children in Israel had the opportunity to know God, but they were not actually in covenant with him until they took that opportunity, by choosing to listen to and obey the words of God in love.

Being born in Israel, and circumcised on the 8^th day, was therefore a great opportunity for children to remember the faith of Abraham, their physical father. They were, however, not born into a covenant with God as their spiritual father.

They had an open door (because they were Abraham’s descendants) to develop a relationship of friendship with God, like the one Abraham had. They were given all the understanding from God’s laws to be able to grow in love toward God, and thus fulfill their opportunity of being in a covenant of love with him.

But they had to choose to love God, or they would not actually be conforming to the covenant agreement, as they would not actually be in agreement with God:

While children were members of the nation and family of Israel, they needed to understand that being Abraham’s descendants meant they were actually potential members of the family of God!

Yet such a relationship with God was not handed to them on a plate. They first had to love God with all their heart, mind and soul, in order to actually be in covenant with him. (Deut 6:5) Then as adults they needed to continue to love God and love their neighbour as themselves.

While all descendants of Abraham were given this great opportunity to know and love God, from the history of Israel we see that relatively few took that opportunity. Most in fact did not. (Matt 7:13-14) As Paul said, we would be wise to consider their choices, and learn from their examples. (Rom 15:4)

Called By God

The nation of Israel is called by God’s name, as they are his chosen people. And God warned them in the third commandment:

You shall not take (bear) the name of the Lord your God in vain. For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes (bears) His name in vain. (Exo 20:7)

God put them in a difficult situation: he gave them his name to be called by, and then said if they did not live up to that name then they would not be forgiven their sins! While their relationship in covenant with God must be based on love, and thus be voluntary, they really had no choice but to be called by God’s name as his chosen people.

God is the great creator; it’s a great honour to be called by him to understand his truth:

Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to the Lord your God, the earth also, with all in it. (yet) only in your fathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) has the Lord delighted to love them, and to choose their seed (their children) after them, on you (Israel), out of all the peoples (of the Earth) as at this day; (Deut 10:14-16)

This is the same opportunity that God has given to all people, both Jew and gentile, who are now called to believe in Christ. (Acts 17:30, Rom 14:10-12) He will open the eyes of all people who are called, to see if they will choose to obey him and love him, then he will give them eternal life. If they don’t choose to love him, then, being mortal, they will die eternally- as only God can grant eternal life, and he won’t give it to those who don’t love him, or his way of life.

Love Your Children

The terms of the covenant with Israel were not just about what the people should do for God, but also what God would do for them, and what people should also do for each other. These responsibilities included how they were to treat their children, before they were mature enough to voluntarily come into the covenant.

Children were protected by the terms of the covenant, such that their parents were not to murder them, or to commit adultery and thus break up the family, nor were they to lie to them, or steal from them, etc. What a great blessing and protection it would be for all children today if their parents kept these commandments of God. We can see everywhere the sad outcomes for many children of their parents failing to keep these great and loving laws.

Children were therefore under the protection of these laws of love, while they were too young to understand them. God protected and set apart children in Israel as holy to him, as part of the terms of the Old Covenant: the Lord delighted to love them, and to choose their seed (their children) after them. Similarly, our children within the New Covenant are holy to God. (1Cor 7:14)

Just as children don’t understand the protection they receive from God’s laws being kept, we all have to grow in being able to appreciate the wisdom and goodness of the ways of God, and that can only happen with time and prayer and study of the Word of God.

Israel therefore had the opportunity to understand how to live a good life and to be blessed by God, and to ultimately gain eternal life, and they were therefore to be a light to the world of his revealed knowledge.

While they had no choice about the opportunity God was giving them, they could however choose to not believe him, and disobey and not love him or their neighbour. In doing so they would not be given the physical blessings promised to them for obedience, and also would forsake the promised gift of eternal life.

As Christians, we also voluntarily choose to respond to the opportunity God is giving us, but we need to do so sincerely, and wholeheartedly, and not in vain.

This addresses the first of the two questions raised above: Yes, the Old Covenant is truly voluntary.

The second question of the exclusiveness of the two covenants, will be addressed in the next post in this series.