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The Grace Covenant The Barren
One Will Rejoice Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.—Galatians 4:28 Tom Ruggirello The Abrahamic Covenant forms the cornerstone of God’s plan to bless the world of mankind. Within that larger covenant we see the mechanism that God will use to bring about the extraordinary blessings of the kingdom. He has promised to develop a seed that will be the avenue of blessing. There are three primary covenants that form the framework of God’s plan: the Law Covenant, the Grace Covenant, and the New Covenant. The first two are alluded to in Galatians the fourth chapter. There the apostle Paul explains the allegorical significance of Abraham’s two wives, Sarah and Hagar. He did not mention Keturah, a third wife, most likely because it was not relevant to his subject. Keturah married Abraham after the death of Sarah and bore six sons. She well illustrates the New Covenant which will bring forth many children, and will come into operation after the Grace Covenant has finished its work. As we recall the circumstances of Sarah and Hagar, we see that Sarah was barren until her old age. Believing that she was past child-bearing years, she suggested to Abraham that to fulfill the promise of God, he should have a son with her servant Hagar. The child of that union, she believed, would be the seed of promise. This, however, was not God’s intent. He promised that Sarah would bear the promised seed, and so, at the age of ninety, she laughed with joy when her son Isaac was born (Genesis 21:6). In this experience the Lord used these two women to portray two covenants, and their sons, the two seeds that would some day bring kingdom blessings. Paul tells us that Hagar, being a servant, represents the Law Covenant. Her children would form the earthly seed developed under the Law, the nation of Israel. Sarah was Free Sarah’s freedom was significant. Her relationship with Abraham was in marked contrast to Hagar’s. She was the favored and beloved wife. Her son, Isaac, was the channel of the promise. This closer kinship and favor with Abraham illustrates the difference between Israel’s relationship with God and that of Jesus and his bride with God. Israel under the Law had limited access to God, but, because of the ransom merit, the church is made free from Adamic condemnation. It is a freedom that allows each member to have a personal relationship with God as a son. It also allows the holy spirit to be poured out liberally, actually begetting one to a spirit nature. Its effects are powerful in the lives of the saints, causing great change to take place in each individual. This is the result of the freedom that we have in Christ. Paul wrote: “Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us” (Galatians 4:26). Here is the covenant under which the church is developed. Sarah prefigured the Grace Covenant. She is our “mother,” the instrument used by God to nurture and develop the new creation. By Grace Are Ye Saved Paul contrasted the two covenants when he said, “Ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). He also said, “By grace ye are saved” (Ephesians 2:5). Grace is a vital element in the Christian life. It is God’s grace that allows Christians to become members of the spiritual seed of Abraham. Grace is manifested through the atoning merit of Jesus and is seen in the daily dealings of every true believer. Who can say they are worthy to be part of the seed of Abraham? Who can claim the right to become a part of the body that will bless all the families of the earth? No one has the right to make such claims. Only through the unmerited favor of God can such an opportunity be provided. It is his plan and his wisdom that saw the importance of calling sinners to become body members of Christ through this “covenant by sacrifice” (Psalm 50:5). To imagine that such sacrifices could be acceptable to a God who demands perfection gives us a glimpse into the power of the applied ransom. Grace is the amazing quality that makes possible the development and growth of the heavenly seed of Abraham. Paul made sure that every believer would understand their future role in this unique and wonderful body when he said, “If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). Paul continued: “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise [the promise covenant] … So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free” (Galatians 4:28, 31).
Most Christians, especially today, have never known the bondage of the Law. Its
exact requirements and lack of perfect atoning sacrifices could never provide
the freedom that exists in Christ. The hopes and aspirations of the true
Christian are immense. They encompass nothing less than being children of the
Abrahamic promise. This should be the essence of our Christian desires, to bring
restitution and life to a sin-sick and dying world. Every trial, every
experience that we have, should be a building block in preparing our hearts for
this marvelous work that lies ahead. It should be the centerpiece of our
theology and thoughts. Through the Grace Covenant, we can become part of the
greatest social work ever undertaken. Unlike any social program devised by man,
this plan has no possibility of failure or inadequacy because it comes from God.
Our goal should be to fully grasp the magnitude of what this all means and to be
entirely devoted to its accomplishment. The Barren One Will Rejoice Sarah lamented her barrenness and waited many years for God’s due time to come. Would God keep his promise? It was a test of her faith. Antitypically, the Grace Covenant had been barren for some 2,200 years after it had been given to Abraham. It finally began to bear children at the first advent when our Lord became the first member of the promised seed. The covenant now is no longer barren. It continues to bear children as members of the body of Christ are added. It is a body of believers that will literally change the world. It is a group that is patient for God’s promises to be fulfilled and yet dedicated to doing what is required of it today. Its vision of the covenant must remain strong and focused. The prophet Isaiah explained the joy that accompanies the development of the seed of promise: “Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than are the children of the married wife” (Isaiah 54:1). The spiritual seed is still growing and being made ready. The covenant to bless is in full preparation. In that same chapter Isaiah tells us that God is married to the Sarah covenant (Isaiah 54:5). Think of what it means for God to speak of the covenant as his wife. It gives us an insight into how dear this covenant is to the heart of God. The name Sarah means “princess.” This covenant then is the Princess Covenant which is going to give birth to the royal seed. (What Pastor Russell Taught, p. 362.) We can rejoice in knowing that as soon as the heavenly seed is ready, the blessing of earth will commence. And so, the barren one is told to “break forth into singing.” Sarah’s reaction to the announcement of Isaac’s coming birth was laughter. Though initially this may have expressed a measure of disbelief, it was soon changed to the laughter of joy when the promise became a reality. Here is a good lesson for us. Do the promises of God seem almost too good to be true? Do we laugh with a measure of disbelief that we could be called to such an honor? Or do we take him at his word and allow joy to fill our hearts in anticipation for what lies ahead, as we become part of the “seed of promise”?
Isaiah also described the time when the Sarah covenant will bear even grander
results: “Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains
of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;
for thou shalt break forth on the right and on the left; and thy seed shall
inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited” (Isaiah
54:2,3). These verses describe the fruitage of the Abrahamic Covenant through
the antitypical Isaac. Its tent will be enlarged as mankind accepts the terms of
the New Covenant and becomes part of the earthly seed of Abraham. God Swore by an Oath One of the most thrilling passages of Scripture is related to the Abrahamic promise. In Hebrews we see God’s desire that we be fully convinced of his promise and fully grasp the hope being offered to us: “For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself … For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope that is set before us” (Hebrews 6:13,16-18). From this text we see that God wants his people to be so completely certain that the Abrahamic promise, and our opportunity to be part of the spiritual seed of promise, will be fulfilled, that he gave us two confirmations: first, he made the original promise, then, with an oath he confirmed he would keep it. Our belief in this promise is so important to God that he swore to it by his own name and integrity. He did that to establish our hope of becoming part of the promised seed on the surest foundation possible. This effort on God’s part makes the Abrahamic Covenant the most relevant and binding agreement ever devised. It is imperative that we realize the full scope and power of God’s covenant. We want to understand the tremendous privilege that we are being offered. It is also essential that we understand and appreciate the grace wherein we stand and dedicate ourselves to continuing a life of sacrifice so we can be joint-heirs with Christ in his kingdom work (Romans 8:17). Behold, what wondrous grace By his dear Son redeemed, —Wondrous Grace, verses 1 and 2 |