Notes: Covenant of the Torch
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Main idea: Christians can bravely endure their trials because God keeps His promise.
The God who remembers you is a God worth remembering.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
Time needs to pass by so that you can prove you remember something. And while that time is passing by, it might seem as though you’ve forgotten it.
On occasion, husbands remember their wedding anniversary. And upon doing so, they might prepare a surprise gift for their wife, and they might even pretend to have forgotten about it until the day itself.
That’s why we don’t call it the covenant of the oven, but the covenant of the torch. Because it is the torch that shines the light of hope while we’re in the oven.
Outline
Introduction: Why did God make this covenant?
What kind of God sends His people into oppression and slavery for 400 years?
The God who brings His people out of slavery with great possessions.
Why did God make this covenant? The contents of the covenant have to do with two things. Abraham’s descendants, and the land.
Abraham’s descendants will be slaves in a foreign land for 400 years.
400 years do not equate to 4 generations.
It simply states the amount of time that the Israelites would suffer in Egypt as slaves.
God will judge the nation that they serve.
Is it fair for God to judge the nation of Egypt, when it is God who put the Israelites there in the first place?
The Pharaoh who kickstarted the slavery of the Israelites chose to do so freely. He wasn’t forced to do it.
They will come out with great possessions.
More than physical possessions, they came out with the greatest possession of all: faith in God.
Missionary Jim Elliot: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
They will return to the land of Canaan in the fourth generation
Redemptive historical perspective
Conclusion
Mary and Zechariah were as far from Abraham’s covenant as we are from Jesus. But they celebrated that God remembers His promise with Abraham.
From a spiritual perspective, are Abraham’s descendants living in the land of promise?
The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.
The Amorites here symbolize the people living in Canaan.
The fixing of times is conditioned not on necessity but on morality.
We might be wondering, “Lord, when is my suffering going to end?” But the truth is that sometimes, we keep ourselves bound because it’s more comfortable and familiar. The truth is that sometimes we’re scared to change into a more Christ-like version of ourselves.
We think, “I’m always hot-tempered.” And we cannot imagine what it’s like to become patient and longsuffering.
The iron furnace of Egypt (Deut. 4:20; 1 Kgs. 8:51; Jer. 11:4).
What was the purpose of their trial in Egypt?
What good did it do? Why did it have to be so long?
The iron furnace is God’s way of purifying the faith of the Israelites. It may have seemed torturous and difficult at the time, but God caused their faith to mature through such trials of affliction, in order to raise them into a great nation that trusts only in God.
Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation.
Some people might think that God wants us to depend on Him, so He throws us into the ocean and gives us His hand. And He calls that training.
Can you fall in love with this God? Not likely. He seems pretty self-absorbed.
But I suspect some of us might think of God like this, and then we wonder why do I struggle to love Him?
The truth is that all of us were dead in sin. That includes Abraham and the Israelites. We weren’t drowning. We’re already drowned. And the problem is that even after God breathes life into us, we love the water so much that we jump back into it on our own. And God keeps extending His hand to save us.
An example of this is in Galatians, where they received the Gospel, but then some false teachers come and teach that circumcision is necessary in order to be saved. And in response, Paul writes to the church: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.”
Now, there’s a wrong way to think about this.
Some people might think that God wanted the Israelites to depend on Him, so He threw them into slavery so that He can save them. And He calls that training.
If your parents did that to you, could you still love them? You’d probably hate them for it. It sounds very egotistical of them.
Is that your idea of God? If so, it’s no wonder you struggle to love Him.
The truth is that the slavery of the Israelites was representative of the entire human race.
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
And the means by which this happens is smoking oven, the trials and tribulations that come our way, that make our lives hard and difficult. The times when doing the right thing before God is awkward and costly before men.
What kind of man was Reuben? He gave himself over to sexual temptation.
What about Simeon and Levi? They gave themselves over to anger and unforgiveness.
But what about Joseph? Joseph faced even greater temptations than them. Potiphar’s wife was probably more attractive than Reuben’s aunty. Simeon and Levi’s sister was raped, but Joseph was sold off by his brothers as a slave. From the world’s perspective, he had every right to hold a grudge and punish them. But he didn’t.
What was his secret? When there were trials before him, he saw the God behind him. When everyone saw the burning oven, he saw the flaming torch.
What do you see? Is it a surprise to us that trials and temptations come our way? The Bible says not to be surprised (1 Pet. 4:12). Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22).
Joseph made a final request to bury his bones in Canaan. What does this look like today?
Even though the plan didn’t go according to how he might have wanted, he trusted in God’s plan until the very end. He did not doubt, and acted in faith in the big things and the little things.
Let us reflect on this. Is life going according to plan? Is this what you wanted?
Upon losing his wife at a young age, Ira Stanphill wrote "I Know Who Holds Tomorrow" expressing a prayer of surrender to his Savior under circumstances he didn't understand. God doesn't promise that walking with him will be easy, but what he does promise is that every day of our lives is in his hands and we can rest in the hope of his Son, Jesus Christ, who paid the punishment for our sins so that we can have hope and eternity with him!
I don't know about tomorrow,
It may bring me poverty;
But the one who feeds the sparrow,
Is the one who stands by me.
And the path that be my portion,
May be through the flame or flood,
But His presence goes before me,
And I'm covered with His blood.
Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand.
How many tithes and offerings can you give in 17 years? How many hours of serving in church and doing God’s work can you do in 17 years? If someone were to do all of that thinking they’re to salvation, it’s all Ishmael.
The birthright belonged to Joseph.
The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel, so that he could not be enrolled as the oldest son; though Judah became strong among his brothers and a chief came from him, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph),
Genealogy of faith in Heb. 11: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph.
By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.
Christ
What kind of God sends His people into oppression and slavery for 400 years?
The same God who brings His people into eternal freedom.
The same God who sends His Son to die a slave’s death so that His people would be free for eternity. Joseph was unwillingly sold as a slave. Jesus willingly came to this earth, washed the feet of those who would abandon and betray Him, and died for those who crucified Him. And He prayed on the cross, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
I’m aware that we have many mothers in our congregation, and we have many who are past the age for motherhood. But here’s the good news. In Christ, God has made Abraham your father, and Sarah your mother.
Are you in slavery? God is leading you out of it. He has provided you with what you need in order not to be enslaved anymore. He has given you the covenant, and He has fulfilled it.
The spiritual meaning of slavery is connected with the idea of earning. A slave is someone who works to earn their position. A son is someone who works because of their position.
At the end of the wilderness journey, in the plains of Moab, Moses confesses that it was God who carried them for those 40 years.
and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.’
The nature of your Savior is the nature of your salvation. What God saves you with is a strong indicator of what God saves you to.
I want to bring us for a moment to Romans 8:29-30, which is famously known as the golden chain of redemption. And as we read it, I want us to count the number of verbs attributed to God, and the number of verbs attributed to human beings.
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
How many things does God do? Five. He foreknew, He predestined, He called, He justified, and He glorified.
This is what it means for the flaming torch to pass between the pieces. It means that there is no weak link in the chain of redemption. It means that no one falls away, because salvation depends on no one but God alone.
And the faith that we have is not something we earn or deserve, but a gift of grace.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
It is God who brought the Israelites into Egypt, and it is God who will bring them into the promised land. Is God bringing you into the promised land?
The flaming torch was probably the only source of light in the thick darkness of night. There may be times when your situation seems too dark. There may be times when, like Abraham, you might start to doubt God’s Word. But in those times, turn your eyes to the flaming torch.
God’s zeal is an unquenchable fire that burns without going out.
In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.
We are guaranteed victory because God is ever-present and participates in our afflictions.
The covenant of the torch is God’s promise to Abraham of descendants and land. It’s not something we fulfill, but it’s something we receive and pass down to the next generation.
Furthermore, the kingdom of God isn’t based on deservedness or merit. It’s not based on who deserves what. The Father Son and Holy Spirit
Do you have the flaming torch? Jesus is the light of the world. And we are called to be the light of the world.
strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
Is that good news or bad news?
Some people would prefer it if God does half the work, and I do the other half. They want their salvation to be a joint effort between me and God. I need to do my part in order for it to work.
Would you like that? Really? Would you really want your eternal destiny to depend on whether you meet your end of the deal? God doesn’t do it that way God knows that if even one percent of our salvation depended on us, we wouldn’t make it.
Is God your shield? Or are you depending on other things for your security? Some people use their own moral goodness as a shield.
And later on, Abraham has to send Hagar and Ishmael away. By that time, Ishmael was 17 years old. 17 years worth of money, time, and effort into raising Ishmael, only to send him away.
Ishmael is me trying to fulfill the covenant by my own strength, my own willpower, my own goodness. Ishmael is me saying I did something that others didn’t, so I deserve to be saved and not them.
Because the flaming torch is not with Ishmael, but with Isaac. The children of Abraham born according to the promise of God, not according to the ways of this world.
1 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright. 2 Though Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came the leader, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph),
From this passage, we see that the firstborn birthright belonged to Joseph.
Jesus is the true fulfiller of the covenant of the torch.
When God promised Abraham that his descendants will be like the stars in the sky, He wasn’t only talking about Abraham’s biological sons.
If that were the case, then Ishmael would have sufficed. God was talking about Abraham’s spiritual descendants, who would come through the line of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.
But wait a minute. Jesus was born from the line of Judah. His parents Joseph and Mary were both from Judah. So how can it be that Jesus also comes from the line of Joseph?
Even though Jesus was born physically from the line of Judah, He was born in the same way as Joseph, by the intervention of the Holy Spirit.
From Abraham to Isaac, Isaac to Jacob, and Jacob to Joseph, the common factor is that they were all impossible births made possible by God. Isaac’s mother, Jacob’s mother, and Joseph’s mother couldn’t have children.
And Jesus is born according to this spiritual lineage of faith.
And through His death, we are adopted into this spiritual lineage, born again out of impossible circumstances.
26 And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
So the covenant of the torch is about enduring our present circumstances by finding hope in God’s promises. It’s about enduring the smoking oven by looking toward the flaming torch.
We can endure until the end because Christ has passed the covenant of the torch to us.
Every other religion makes you go through the animal pieces, whether you know it or not. You always have to meet the requirements or face the consequences.
