Expert: Dr Don Howe - 5/1/2009

Question
Dr. Howe,

I was looking at your profile when I asked you a question earlier, and one of your interests caught my eye. You said that you welcome questions that deal with many things, including how Israel fits into God's economy today.

I have an interest in learning about Israel and such, and when you have time, I would really enjoy reading your comments on how “how Israel fits into God's economy today”.

Thank you so much!


Answer
  Erich, thank you for your question. God has had Israel in His economy ever since Adam and Eve. God has done this by making covenants with Israel. To understand how Israel fits into the economy of God we have to study what is a covenant, what are the differences in the covenants, what the names of the different covenants, and what are the characteristics of the covenants. To really understand the covenants you have to be dispensational in your eschatology and use literal grammatical-historical biblical interpretations of the Scriptures.
   Mal Couch states “a covenant is an agreement between two parties and represents relationships formed between God and man, man and man, or nation and nation. Scriptures identifies two kinds of covenants, conditional and unconditional. A conditional covenant is binding on both parties fro its fulfillment, that is, the response of the one making the covenant is conditioned b the response of the party with whom the covenant was made. An unconditional covenant is binding on only binding on the one who makes the covenant, although certain blessings attached to the unconditional covenant may require some response from the party with which the covenant was made in order for that party to receive the blessing.” Couch goes on to say “there are four characteristics that must be noticed concerning the nature of the covenants: (1) they are literal, (2) they are eternal, (3) they depend entirely on the integrity of God, and (4) they were made with a covenant people, Israel.”
    Arnold Fruchtenbaum comments on these characteristics “A covenant is “unconditional” when God will fufill His promises without regard to acts of obedience among those with whom the covenant is made. He will accomplish all promises stated in the covenants, no matter what happens.” He continues to bring forth some insights about the covenants being for the specific people which was Israel. He states “Paul relates in Romans 9:4 that to the Israelites belong “the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises. Paul stresses that these covenants were made with Israel and are Israel’s possession. The unconditional covenants belong to the people of Israel and, as this passage notes, gentiles are not included in these particular promises.”
  There are six biblical covenants, of which only one, the Mosaic, is conditional. The remaining are unconditional, meaning that God will fulfill them soverignly at some future point in history.
1.   The Noahic Covenant (Gen. 9:1-18). This is a perpetual agreement made with Noah in which God promises to never again destroy the earth by a flood. It is unconditional. But Apostle Peter states in 2 Peter 3:7 that the earth will be destroyed by fire and not by a flood. The text states “But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” Peter is speaking of the Earth being destroyed by fire and the New Heavens and Earth will appear.
2.   The Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 20:1-31:18). The fulfillment of this conditional covenant is based on human obedience and faithfulness to God. This covenant was broken almost immediately after it was made (Exod. 32:15-29).
3.   The Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-15:17). This unconditional covenant is progressive in its fulfillment and consists of three parts, or subcovenants, the Palestinian, The Davidic, and the new. These three subcovenants contain the prophecies concerning the land, the seek, and the future blessing to Abraham and his seed.  
4.    The Palestinian Covenant (Deut. 28-30). This covenant guarantees that Israel will possess the Promised Land. It is unconditional. The fighting in the Middle East right now is over this Covenant. Our stupid President is so pro-muslim, because he is one, that he has thrown Israel under the bus. Why? Because he has no clue concerning this particular covenant.
5.   The Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:4-16; 1 Chron. 17:3-15). This unconditional covenant promises that David’s throne, lineage, and kingdom will be eternal. It assures the millennial kingdom in which Christ will reign on the earth.
6.     The New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-33). This unconditional covenant has its ultimate fulfillment in the millennial kingdom. The covenant is made first with the nation of Israel (31:31) and would replace the Mosaic covenant which the nation of Israel broke and could not fulfill (31:32). At the Passover meal with His disciples, Jesus tell the reason or His coming sacrifice in Lk. 22:20 which states “Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup [is] the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” At Pentecost the new covenant was initiated and launched by the coming of the Holy Spirit. The sacrifice of Christ now benefits believers in the present dispensation of the Church. Paul in 2 Cor. 3:5-9, compares the new covenant with the covenant of the Law and writes “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency [is] of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written [and] engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which [glory] was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation [be] glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.”
  Because both Israel and the church are in the Kingdom both benefit from the new covenant, this in no way mixes together the church and kingdom. The constitute tow different dispensations. And in both dispensations people are saved by faith, as was true in all other periods of history.
    Erich, I hope this explains a little of the covenants that God has made with Israel in His economy.

    Blessings,

Dr Don Howe, RN, PhD, ThD.