Confidence Through Covenant Loyalty I. Questions A. What is covenant loyalty? B. How did Israel trust in God's covenant loyalty, and struggle with it at the same time? C. Why should Christians live in confidence through God's covenant loyalty? II. Covenant Loyalty A. YHWH passed by before him and proclaimed: "YHWH, YHWH, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children's children, to the third and fourth generation" (Exodus 34:6-7) B. Give thanks to YHWH, for he is good, for his loyal love endures. Give thanks to the God of gods, for his loyal love endures. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his loyal love endures (Psalm 136:1-3; cf. Psalm 136:1-26) C. He prayed to YHWH and said, "Oh, YHWH, this is just what I thought would happen when I was in my own country. This is what I tried to prevent by attempting to escape to Tarshish! – because I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in mercy, and one who relents concerning threatened judgment (Jonah 4:2) D. One of the persistent themes which YHWH wished to inculcate within Israel was His hesed: His "unwavering confidence and maintenance in covenant obligations with a warm feeling toward the covenanter," variously translated "lovingkindness," "steadfast love," and the particularly excellent NET translation of "loyal love" E. If two themes pervade the psalms, and were designed to consciously and unconsciously shape the faith and perspective of Israel and all the people of God, it would be YHWH is the Creator, and YHWH displays hesed toward His people F. In truth, these two principles were to support and sustain Israel's faith and perspective 1. YHWH is the Creator God of the heavens and the earth; thus everything and everyone are subject to Him, and He will accomplish whatever He purposes to do 2. YHWH has purposed to display covenant loyalty to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their descendants 3. YHWH displayed said covenant loyalty by blessing Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and delivering their descendants from Egyptian bondage with a strong hand, providing the land of Canaan to them as He promised 4. YHWH has also demonstrated covenant loyalty to David and his house 5. Why should Israel entrust themselves to YHWH, and YHWH alone? Because He is their Creator, and there is no other creator; He is worthy of confidence because He had delivered their ancestors and provided the land and its attendant blessings G. To this end Israel should observe and uphold Torah, proving loyal to their covenant with YHWH as YHWH proved loyal to them III. Israel and Covenant Loyalty A. YHWH is the Creator God of Israel who displays covenant loyalty (cf. Psalm 105) B. Yet the story of Israel generally is one of covenant faithlessness (cf. Psalm 106) 1. The generation in the Wilderness constantly doubted and complained, and they died in the Wilderness 2. Their children would enter the land, conquer much of it, but did not conquer all of it 3. Their children would persistently serve gods other than YHWH, always offering sacrifices to YHWH, confessing YHWH as the God of Israel and the deliverer of their forefathers, yet also honoring the gods of the people around them, giving to them some of the honor due to YHWH their God 4. They did not want YHWH as king, and wanted a human king; the kings of Israel and Judah did not uphold righteousness but tolerated and even commended corruption, greed, oppression, and abuse; they participated in the machinations of ancient Near Eastern foreign policy C. On account of such covenant faithlessness YHWH continually judged His people, culminating in the destruction of both the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah and exile in 722 and 586 BCE D. A remnant of Israel maintained their confidence in YHWH as their God, confessed the sins of their ancestors, and vowed to no longer walk in those sins; they would be the people of YHWH who would persist from 586 BCE until the days of fulfillment E. We can see some of these Israelites grappling with YHWH's covenant loyalty F. The Korahites of Psalm 44:1-26 bitterly lament their condition, and demand a response from YHWH 1. Psalm 44:1-3: confession of what they heard YHWH did for their fathers 2. Psalm 44:4-8: confidence defeat of enemies could be accomplished through YHWH 3. Psalm 44:9-16: lamentation of current condition, defeated by enemies, mocked, derided, humiliated 4. Psalm 44:17-22: a willingness to accept chastisement if they had done wrong, but protestation of their faith and confidence in YHWH 5. Psalm 44:23-26: demand for YHWH to wake up and deliver His people from their suffering and oppression G. Ethan the Ezrahite also protested on behalf of the Davidic dynasty in Psalm 89:1-51 1. Psalm 89:1-37: Ethan praises YHWH as Creator, for His loyalty to His people, His choice of David, and the covenant loyalty He promised to David and his house 2. Psalm 89:38-45: Ethan confessed and lamented the degraded and humiliated state of David's house 3. Psalm 89:46-48: Ethan wanted to know how long YHWH's anger would last, since Ethan's life would not go on very long 4. Psalm 89:49-51: Ethan ends by asking YHWH where His former covenant loyalty to David had gone, wanting Him to consider how insulted and derided they are 5. Psalm 89:52 is a rhetorical device by the Psalter, added to the end of the five "books" of Psalms; it is not original to Ethan 6. In terms of the Psalms Ethan proves rather shocking, not ending in any demonstration of present confidence, but leaving the raw question opened and unanswered H. While pre-exilic Israel persisted in various sins and did not prove circumspect about their covenant faithlessness, a remnant in post-exilic Israel pursued and sought covenant loyalty with God, upheld Torah, and understandably wanted to know where YHWH had gone IV. YHWH Fulfills Covenant Loyalty A. We could explore the history of Second Temple Israel and identify many points at which YHWH delivered and rescued His people as well as times in which the people of God suffered terribly and seemed lowly, humbled, and oppressed, with the Korahites' and Ethan's questions left unanswered B. Yet YHWH would prove faithful to His covenant, and Mary sung about it in Luke 1:46-55 1. Luke 1:4-25: Gabriel visited Zechariah and spoke of his son John as the fulfillment of the promise of the Elijah to come to prepare the way of YHWH 2. Luke 1:26-38: Gabriel visited Mary, promising she would conceive and bear a Son who would inherit the throne of David, be called Son of the Most High, and would rule over a Kingdom which would have no end 3. Thus, as Mary sang the "Magnificat," she did so recognizing how through her God was fulfilling all He had promised to Israel 4. And so Luke 1:54-55: "He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy, as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever." 5. Greek, like English, has no equivalent to Hebrew hesed; translators would often use eleos, generally translated "mercy" 6. We should absolutely understand the Hebrew concept of hesed behind Mary's use of eleos in Luke 1:54! C. Indeed, YHWH would fulfill in Jesus of Nazareth all He had promised to Israel 1. Luke 24:44-47: Jesus fulfilled everything written in the Law, Prophets, and Writings in His life, death, resurrection, and ascension 2. Jesus did not fulfill them as Israel had been expecting; from the beginning the fulfillment of all for which Israel had hoped proved subversive, and thus many did not recognize Him as their Christ D. Thus we have the benefit of hindsight to see how YHWH proved faithful to His promises and displayed His covenant loyalty to His people 1. Consider again the Korahites and Ethan: how would YHWH have responded? 2. The Psalter himself gave a clue by placing Psalm 90, Moses' meditation on man's short life in comparison with God's timeline 3. In His good time YHWH fulfilled what He had spoken, and did what He promised 4. And Israel should not have been surprised: the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would not take place for hundreds of years after their passing E. Indeed: YHWH is the Creator God of Israel; YHWH displayed covenant faithfulness and loyalty to His people Israel! V. Our Confidence Through Covenant Loyalty A. YHWH's covenant loyalty to Israel has allowed all of us to come to the knowledge of what He accomplished through Jesus so we can be saved (Ephesians 2:1-3:12) B. YHWH was not merely the Creator God of Israel, but the God of heaven! C. In Christ He has extended covenant loyalty to all who would participate in Jesus' Kingdom (Colossians 1:9-13) D. We, therefore, can have the same confidence God expected of Israel: God is our Creator and thus has power and authority, and God proved His worthiness in demonstrating His covenant loyalty by providing deliverance from sin and death through Jesus' death and resurrection E. As the people of God, we can see how many who have come before us did not prove fully faithful to what God made known in Jesus, and we know Jesus will judge them as He will judge all of us (Romans 14:10-12) F. Yet might we also be tempted to despair like the Korahites and Ethan? We might not even doubt the past saving events, but might we wonder where God has gone? G. The Apostle Peter anticipated such concerns in 2 Peter 3:3-13 1. 2 Peter 3:3-4: Peter expected scoffers to wonder what had become of Jesus' promised return 2. 2 Peter 3:5-7: Peter appealed to the days of Noah: the heavens and earth of that time existed until devastated by deluge, and the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire 3. 2 Peter 3:8-9: Peter alluded to Moses in Psalm 90:4, stating time is immaterial to God; we should regard "slowness" as patience toward us 4. 2 Peter 3:10-13: the day of judgment would come and a new heavens and earth would come about in righteousness; Christians should live in faith and prepared! H. Jesus had used the same illustration regarding the days of Noah in Matthew 24:36-44 to a similar end: only the Father knows the day and time, so all must be prepared; all He promised would take place to Israel and Jerusalem found its fulfillment in the First Jewish War of 66-70 I. Revelation 6:9-11: Christians who had been martyred for the faith cried out to God wanting to know when their blood would be avenged; they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of them had been established J. Revelation 22:6-7, 10-17, 20-21: having received the vision of the new heavens and new earth and the glorified people of God, John is told how such will take place soon, blessings for the redeemed, the invitation of Jesus, the Spirit, and the Church, and the assurance Jesus will come soon K. And so Christians may have confidence through God in Christ; He is their Creator; He has demonstrated His covenant loyalty and faithfulness; He will do what He said He will do! VI. Invitation, Reflection, and Prayer A. God is Creator; God is loyal to His covenant people; He does what He says He will do B. He demonstrated His covenant loyalty to Israel; He fulfilled all things in Jesus C. God is our Creator, and God has proven loyal to His covenant with Abraham and has given all of us the opportunity to share in the inheritance of the promise in Jesus and His Kingdom D. God's covenant loyalty provides us with the confidence to live in hope: God has already dwelt among us as Jesus; He has already suffered, died, and is raised from the dead; He now reigns as Lord; and He assuredly will return, judge the living and the dead, and we will all share in the resurrection of life E. We may wonder how much longer, or wonder where God seems to have gone, as Israel did; yet He is there; He is faithful; He will do it F. Why should we maintain confidence in God in Christ through covenant loyalty? G. Invitation, reflection, and prayer Scripture, Meditation, and Application 1: Give thanks to YHWH, for he is good, for his loyal love endures. Give thanks to the God of gods, for his loyal love endures. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his loyal love endures (Psalm 136:1-3). Israel should have understood two fundamental principles: YHWH was their Creator, and YHWH had demonstrated covenant loyalty, or loyal love. YHWH fulfilled the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Israel enjoyed the blessings of the land of Canaan. God had demonstrated how worthy He was of their confidence and faithfulness. How did God prove worthy and faithful to Israel? 2: Where are your earlier faithful deeds, O Lord, the ones performed in accordance with your reliable oath to David? Take note, O Lord, of the way your servants are taunted, and of how I must bear so many insults from people! Your enemies, O YHWH, hurl insults; they insult your chosen king as they dog his footsteps (Psalm 89:49-51). Pre-exilic Israel proved faithless to YHWH, considering Him only as their God, and still honoring other gods and not heeding His directions. The remnant of post-exilic Israel sought to remain faithful to all YHWH had declared. They believed in all they heard YHWH had done in the creation and to deliver and rescue their ancestors. The Korahites and Ethan wondered where God had gone, since they were in distress. How might the people of God wonder where God has gone today? 3: "He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy, as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever" (Luke 1:54-55). Momentous events were taking place in the final days of Herod the Great. The angel Gabriel visited Zechariah and Mary and promised in their children the fulfillment of all David and the prophets had written. Mary sang regarding God's covenant faithfulness to Israel. It may have taken far longer than Israel expected or wanted, but God had proven faithful to His promises through Jesus of Nazareth. How did God fulfill all He promised to Israel? 4: The one who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon!" Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20) YHWH, God of Israel, is the Creator of all and the God of heaven. In Christ God provided deliverance and rescue from sin and death not just for Israel but for all who would trust in Jesus and participate in His Kingdom. Christians can live in confidence in God in Christ on account of God's covenant loyalty. God has done what He said He would do through Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and ascension. Jesus is Lord right now. And we can have confidence Jesus will return. Maranatha, amen. Come, Lord Jesus! How can we maintain confidence in God in Christ through covenant loyalty?