by Deborah Onovae | Apr 14, 2021 | Bible Study
2nd Quarter: The Promise: God’s Everlasting Covenant
Lesson 3 *“All Future Generations”*
Tuesday: Covenant with Noah
*Text: [[Gen 6:18]] KJV*
_But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee._
*Message*
God wanted to destroy the world, but righteous Noah found grace in his sight so God wanted to spare him. He therefore enters into a covenant with Noah. This is the foundation of all biblical covenants – God and man enters into an agreement where He offers a blessing (and its conditions/laws), then the man is to accept to subscribe to it, obey, and receives the blessings. In this covenant too, Noah’s family had their part to do, and if they did not do it, the covenant would be broken. If the covenant was broken, they were the ultimate losers, for in the end they were the beneficiaries of the covenant.
Let’s try to understand the covenant with this simple analogy. If well understood, we’ll easily understand all biblical covenants God makes with man. *A man has fallen overboard from a boat in the midst of a storm. Someone on the deck says that he will throw a life preserver over to haul him in. The one in the water, however, has to agree to his end of the “deal,” and that is to grab on and to hold on to what has been provided him.* In all of God’s covenant, he initiates a plan to save us, when we are about to “drown”.
Generally speaking, in every covenant, the 2 parties have what they offer and what they benefit. But it’s absurd to say the one drowning did the man in a boat a favour by holding his life preserver he offered. God’s benefit in this covenant which he calls “My covenant” is that, He offers eternal life to his creation, and this means a lot to Him. So ultimately, God initiates the covenant which we enjoy all the benefits.
*Reflection*
_How does the analogy above help you to understand the concept of grace that exists in the covenant? How does it help you understand what your relationship to God even now needs to be based on?_
by Deborah Onovae | Apr 12, 2021 | Bible Study
2nd Quarter: The Promise: God’s Everlasting Covenant
Lesson 3 “All Future Generations”
Monday: The Man Noah
Text: [[Gen 6:9]] BSB
_This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God._
Message
As we noted in our study yesterday, sin increased on earth to the point that God lamented. Evil grew each day in the then world, and probably some of the most popular statement’s today such as, “everyone is doing it, it doesn’t matter, etc.” were used there as well. But this was false! Not everyone did what the masses did. There was a man – Noah, who separated himself from all the evils. The Bible testifies that he was a righteous man, blameless, and one that had a close relationship with God. Noah showed that it was possible to be faithful in a corrupt world.
Did the writer exaggerate when he said Noah was righteous or blameless? Or was he only picking a lesser of 2 evils? No! Noah was indeed a righteous man. But does it mean Noah never sinned? No! *The Bible nowhere equates righteousness to sinlessness.* There are accounts of several righteous people in scripture, but Only Christ was sinless. Noah simply did what God expected. He ensured he was constantly right with God and so no witness could be raised against him. This isn’t a strange concept. Throughout history, men are made right with God (righteous) when surrender all to God and receive pardon. At that moment, we become blameless, and this can be achieved only through a constant living relationship with God. This is what Noah pursued.
God was about to destroy the world, “but Noah found favour in the sight of the Lord. (Vs 8)” Noah therefore was going to be spared, not because he was righteous, but because of God’s Grace. *He was righteous, but that couldn’t save him, God’s Grace alone could!* What a powerful lesson for us today. If Noah was sinless, then he didn’t need grace to escape, for the sinless cannot be condemned by a just God. But *however “blameless” and “righteous” Noah was, he was still a sinner who needed the unmerited favor of his God* His situation isn’t different from any sincere sinner seeking God today.
Reflection
Understanding that Noah needed God’s grace, as do the rest of us, look at your own life and ask yourself this question: Could it be said of me that I am, like Noah, “righteous,” “blameless,” and that I “walk with God”?
by Deborah Onovae | Apr 11, 2021 | Bible Study
2nd Quarter: The Promise: God’s Everlasting Covenant
Lesson 3 “All Future Generations”
Sunday: The Sin Principle
Text: [[Gen 6:5]] KJV
_And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually._
Message
One of the arguments that still bothers many minds today is whether our generation is better or worse of than those that lived 1000s of years ago. On one hand, we see technological advances that one might say never existed in those days. Going by this, we may be better of. But again, think about the exponential increase in crime and evil. This is not surprising because from the day man sinned in Eden, we became inclined naturally to sin,and our nature actually enjoyed it. Man’s urge to sin, like bacteria growth, increases rapidly. But God, in order to remedy the situation employed the best approach which we’ll explore this week. We’ll look at God’s covenant with Noah in detail.
From the time of creation to the time of Noah, things had moved from being “exceptionally very good” to unbearably bad. The Bible records that, “the imagination of men were evil continually”. Things were getting out of hand, and God couldn’t watch all his creation destroyed. “it repented God for creating man”. This is a language implying God’s impending judgment. But how did things get worse so quickly like that? The problem we all face today is, we underestimate sin or play with it hoping we can kick it out anytime. But one sin subtly leads to another, then another, till we’re far gone.
Sin progressively gets worse. It tends to do that. Sin is not like a cut or a wound, with some automatic, built-in process that brings healing. On the contrary, if left unchecked, sin multiplies, never satisfied until it leads to ruin and death.Unfortunately, like our 1st parents, we follow the same slippery way. To avoid its multiplication is to avoid nurturing the very 1st seed (thought of evil).
Reflection
The Good news is that, though God wants to destroy sin, He eagerly wants to save the sinner. This is how to view the story of the (Noah’s) Flood, and it’s the premise for God’s covenant with Noah.
by Deborah Onovae | Apr 9, 2021 | Bible Study
2nd Quarter: The Promise: God’s Everlasting Covenant
Lesson 2 Covenant Primer
Thursday: The New Covenant
Text: [[Jer 31:31]] KJV
_Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:_
Message
The story of Israel after they left Egypt is known to us all. Though God showed them great love and Mercy, their response was very negative. Over and over again the nation broke the covenant law. God was faithful in keeping the covenant promises, but Israel remained unfaithful. Because of God’s faithfulness, He couldn’t go against his words, and so, for the 1st time in the OT, God mentions his intention to make a new covenant with Israel after their long exile. One consistent thing we can see about God’s covenant with man is that, He always initiates it, and He comes with the full package to bless.
Again, the type of covenant relationship He had with Israel is one we can learn from. It was a marriage relationship – one that required strict faithfulness. Israel failed in this. In God’s new covenant, note that the components remained the same, namely: two parties, a promise, and a requirement (law). God still required a relationship which will be expressed through obedience, the difference is found in how Israel was to keep their part now. In the earlier covenant, their fathers attempted to obey and they failed, in the new one, God himself promises that He’ll put those laws in their hearts so that obeying will be easy.
But what does this mean? Has God left everyone to follow his/her conscience? No! No! Note that, even in the new covenant, the laws are still very important (without it, there’s no covenant). What we see is an element to help them keep the same law which their fathers disobeyed. This element is God’s amazing Grace. A special enablement to keep God’s law out of love for Him not just because you have to. Paul says, _”For the grace of God… hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,… (Titus 2:11,12)_ In short, in the New covenant, everything, including our ability to obey is on God. When men tried by their strength, they failed.
Reflection
In the New Covenant, _the people simply obey Him, not in some rote, mechanical way, but purely because they know Him, because they love Him, and because they want to serve Him. This captures the essence of the covenant relationship the Lord seeks with His people._
by Deborah Onovae | Apr 8, 2021 | Bible Study
2nd Quarter: The Promise: God’s Everlasting Covenant
Lesson 2 Covenant Primer
Wednesday: The Covenant With MosesText: [[Exo 6:5]] KJV
_And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant._MessageIn our study yesterday, we saw that within the covenant promises to Abram was the statement, _”…And I will make of thee a great nation,…”_ Years have passed, and this covenant begun it’s fulfilment through Israel. Israel was the chosen nation of God, not because they were great or special, but because of God’s covenant promise for Abram, Isaac and Jacob. While in bondage in Egypt, God sent a messenger to them who was to deliver them and take them to the promised land – Canaan. But God had to reactivate the covenant. While Israel had nothing to offer God, God made a covenant to Deliver them.From all indications, the covenant with Israel through Moses reiterated the the earlier one with Abram. They shared similar characteristics:
1. Both showed a special relationship of God to His people (comp Gen. 17:7, 8 with Exod. 19:5, 6).
2. Both promised being a great nation (comp Gen. 12:2 with Exod. 19:6).
3. Obedience was required in both (comp Gen. 17:9–14 and Gen. 22:1618 with Exod. 19:5). Once God initiated this covenant with Israel, it was up to them to agree to it, but God had already given them the promise to bless, which he wasn’t going to fail.God took the initiative. Before giving Israel covenant law, He had 1st delivered them. In other words, God gave them more reason to be faithful. They didn’t have to obey before they will be delivered, rather, they were to obey because they’ve been blessed already. This principle is also clearly illustrated in the NT context of how God deals with us. He saves us, then asks us to obey.ReflectionGod didn’t just want to be a philanthropist, he wanted a strong relationship with Israel. He wanted to be their God, and they will be His people. This was to be the covenant relationship. *What is your relationship with God today? Do you only go to him when in need, or you are in such a relationship which He desires?
by Deborah Onovae | Apr 7, 2021 | Bible Study
2nd Quarter: The Promise: God’s Everlasting Covenant
Lesson 2 Covenant Primer
Tuesday: The Covenant With Abram
Text: [[Gen 12:3]] KJV
_And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed._
Message
Another Covenant recorded in scripture between God and a man was that with Abram. Here again, without any request from Abram, God initiated a covenant relationship which Abram was going to reap the blessings if he agreed to. God guaranteed that the He himself was responsible for the reward, and Abram had nothing to bring to the “covenant table” which God was going to benefit from. All it required was his acceptance and obedience.
Notice carefully God’s covenant promise, _”Get thee out of thy country,… unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: (vs 1,2)_ God had covenanted with Abram to make him great. He only had to respond to one command – Get out! Note again that, *He obeyed by faith (Heb. 11:8), but not in order to bring about the promised blessings. His obedience was the response of his faith to the loving relationship, which God already had established.In other words, Abram already believed in God, already trusted in God, already had faith in God’s promises.
There was no physical evidence of what God said He’ll do for Abram, yet, he left his father’s house. Why? Only faith could explain that. By the exercise of this faith, he enjoyed fully the covenant promise. His obedience wasn’t the trigger for his blessing, but he wouldn’t have received if he didn’t obey. This Abrahamic covenant teaches a key principle of our salvation.
Reflection
We are saved by faith—a faith that results in works of obedience. The promise of salvation comes first; the works follow. Although there can be no covenant fellowship and no blessing without obedience, that obedience is faith’s response to what God already has done. How can this understanding help us appreciate our relationship with God today?
