GOD'S COVENANT
Creation to Revelation • Sermon • Submitted
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· 5 viewsGod is serious about His Covenant with Israel
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“May I be slain like these animals if I do not keep my oath”
“May I be slain like these animals if I do not keep my oath”
God takes serious our words and deeds. I’v always wondered why the people of Israel had animal sacrifice or more so, why would Creator God be pleased from the smell of burning flash or just in the act of killing animals as a sacrifice unto God. This has always confused me. I mean, God created the animals that are being cut in half, then burned to honor or please Him-that just never clicked in me under I studied about the meaning of the Covenant between Abraham and God and Israel and God.
Here are my finding
So He said to him, “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”
It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying,
“To your descendants I have given this land,
From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:
Abraham is told to get a 3 year old OX, Goat & Sheep-why 3 year old? I’ll come back to this question.
Note, a covenant for the most part is an oath taking between two parties. Here we see God and Abraham. God is promising that Abraham's seed will be as numerous as the stars in Heaven. Moreover, if we read Gen 15:9-18 in context, we’ll see that God also is promising Abraham mush more for his obeidence toward God, like literally sacrificing His one and only son [which by the way hasn’t happened yet] but God knows things before they happen.
Abraham has shown
Why was Abraham required to bring three year old offerings/sacrifices in Genesis 15:7?
Why was Abraham required to bring three year old offerings/sacrifices in Genesis 15:7?
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(KJV) Genesis 15:7-9
And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. 8 And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? 9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.
According to the levitical law one year old sacrifices/offerings were required.
(KJV) Exodus 12:5 .
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
(KJV) Leviticus 23:19
19 Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings
(KJV) Numbers 7:15
15 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 16 One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
Could there be some significant or prophetic meaning behind the requirement?
SENSES
apostasy 9 of 13
apostate 3 of 13
unfaithfulness 1 of 13
Firstly, although Christian translations all follow the KJV here, the Hebrew wording is משולשת, which is a major source of debate among the commentaries and translations. Various other approaches include:
3 of each animal (Onkelos) a third-born animal (Kimhi) a fatty animal (see Exodus 14:7, other Jewish commentaries) cut into three pieces (personal understanding)John Gill asks this question directly, and suggests: "Though this difference is to be observed, that the Levitical law required creatures of a year old only to be offered; whereas these were three years old, because they are then at their full growth, and in their full strength and greatest perfection; and such were used among the Heathens for sacrifice; so Lucian represents Ganymedes as proposing to Jupiter, that if he would let her go she would offer a ram of three years old: but it should be remarked, that these creatures here were not taken merely for sacrifice, nor is there any mention made of their being offered; though it is probable they might be offered after they had answered the principal end, which was to be a sign, whereby Abram might know that his seed should inherit the land; but the intention of God was, that as by them Abram's seed might be taught what sort of creatures they were to offer for their sins, so chiefly to show that they themselves would fall a sacrifice to the rage and fury of their enemies, in a land not theirs, and be used as these creatures were: and the number three may denote the three complete centuries in which they would be afflicted, and in the fourth come out safe and whole like the undivided birds, the turtle, dove, and pigeon, to which they were comparable."
D.Z. Hoffman suggests a number of symbolisms based on the 3 years of age - here is a rough translation:
[he discusses some of the possible meanings for this phrase, and concludes that it means three-year-old animals] "It needs to be understood, why were these animals specifically three years old? It is possible that this detail comes in order to symbolize the nation of Israel in its fourth generation, when it will be complete, after it had been preceded by its three original fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob... ...And it is also possible, that these three animals are coming to symbolize the three first generations, which did not have to bear the slavery, and the turtledove (see Paslms 74:19) and pigeon (see Deuteronomy 32:11, which shows that it still receives protection from God) symbolize the 4th generation".
He also mentions the concept of an animal being at its peak strength in the fourth year.
Other Jewish writers make various parallels, see Gill's commentary for details on Nahmanides and Genesis Rabbah, among others.