More...Grace

This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise. 

 Galatians 3:17-18

I recently heard someone reading through the Old Testament comment that it seems like the God of the Old Testament is very different from the God of the New Testament.  Yet we have more than one instance of Scripture highlighting the unchanging nature of God. (Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8 are just two examples.) So why does the God of the Old Testament seem so judgmental and full of retribution while the God of the New Testament is so steeped in grace?

The believers in Galatia struggled to reconcile these aspects of God’s character as well. And Paul had a ready answer. He said that the covenant made with Abraham could not be annulled by the covenant, the Law, God made with Moses. (Paul makes the argument in Galatians 3 and specifically verses 15-29.) The covenant “previously ratified by God” (Galatians 3:17) refers to the Abrahamic covenant that God made with Abraham. The cutting of this covenant unfolds the beauty of God’s gracious character in stunning fashion.

We find the story of the making of this covenant in Genesis 15. God meets Abram (also known by his covenant name of Abraham) in a vision. In this vision God promises a great reward, which Abram interprets as the fulfillment of God’s original promise of land, descendants and a great name so that he would be a blessing to all the families of the earth. This, of course, has its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus.

To seal the deal, so to speak, God proves His intentions to Abram by cutting a covenant with him. God tells Abram to take three 3-year-old animals, a female cow, a female goat and a ram and cut them in half and lay each half across from the other along with a turtledove and a young pigeon. (Genesis 15:9-11) This is a signal to Abram that God intends to cut a covenant with him regarding His promise. He would have been very familiar with this concept as it was a traditional form of agreement making. (see Genesis 21:22-34)

Covenant cutting was a fairly common practice in those days. The parties participating would divide an animal such as a sheep or a goat. Each carcass half would have been laid on either side of a ditch dug in the ground. The blood draining from the animal would pool in the ditch. To cut a covenant literally meant to form a serious, binding agreement. To signify the gravity of the agreement, the parties forming the covenant would walk around the carcass in an infinity pattern, including through the bloody pool at the bottom of the ditch. The implication of this form of covenant cutting was that the agreement was so binding that if either party did not hold up the covenant agreement the offending party would pay for it with his life. I imagine the hem of the robes of the participants would become drenched in blood, a constant reminder of the covenant that had been made.

Most covenant ceremonies would have used one animal, or two at the most. Here there are three large animals (and two small)! The use of three in the Hebrew mind is like putting an exclamation point on the end of a sentence - it’s important in the very greatest sense! Abram instinctively knows this is a big deal and so he drives away the birds of prey that attempt to feed on the carcasses. (Genesis 15:11)  No doubt he was intending to actively participate in this venture.

At the close of the day, however, God causes Abram to fall into a deep sleep. While he sleeps God shows up again. He speaks the covenant over Abram as He makes His way through the carcasses. God doesn’t hold Abram’s feet to the fire. Abram never walks the bloody path through the animal pieces in an infinity pattern. God takes upon Himself all the responsibility for the covenant. He passes through the animals as both a smoking fire pot (a picture of God’s wrath) and a flaming torch (a light by which to see). Abram’s only participation is as an observer. The covenant is cut for him. He bears no consequence as he surely could not keep the covenant! Abram can’t stand up to God’s wrath - but Jesus (the Light - John 1:5) can - and He did!

The last verses of Genesis 15 summarize the agreement. “To your offspring I give this land…” (Genesis 15:18a) It is this statement that Paul highlights in Galatians 3:16... “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, ‘And to your seed,’ that is, Christ.”   The covenant God made with Abraham that day isn't predominantly about land.  It is first and foremost about relationship. It was a firm and binding covenant with implications even to this day because the relationship God offered Abraham extends to all who believe. (Galatians 3:6-7) Jesus paid for the covenant with His blood. He makes no requirement of us but to believe.

In the Old Testament we readily see God’s wrath. But if we’re willing to look closely enough His grace is just as prevalent.