God's Covenant People - Part Three

This is the last message in our study of the Abrahamic Covenant which God established with Abraham and his descendants in Genesis 12:3. The Abrahamic Covenant is an Unconditional Covenant since Jehovah God is doing all the work blessing His people. The message today shows God blessing His people by bringing them out of the bondage in Egypt and blessing them during their 40 years in the wilderness.

Exodus 3:7-8 shows God speaking to Moses out of a burning bush which is not consumed and that was a miracle in itself. God says, "I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians." Then in verse 10 God speaks telling Moses He is sending him to Pharaoh to ask him to release God's people from Egypt.

Some Bible Scholars refer to the Abrahamic Covenant as the "I Will Covenant" because it illustrates all the "I Will Blessings" which God will enact for His Covenant people. The first eight verses of Exodus 6 is a perfect example. The following is a list of all these blessings God "Will Do" for His people:

See What I Will Do To Pharaoh - vs.1

I Will Bring You Out From Under The Burdens Of The Egyptians - vs.6

I Will Rescue You From Their Bondage - vs.6

I Will Redeem You - vs.6

I Will Take You As My People - vs.7

I Will Be Your God - vs.7

I Will Bring You Into The Land Which I Swore To Give To Abraham - vs.8

I Will Give It To You As A Heritage - vs.8

Exodus Chapters 7 - 10 discuss the nine plagues which God brought on the people of Egypt when Pharaoh continually refused to release God's people. Exodus Chapters 11 - 12 illustrate the last plague in which God forces Pharaoh to "Let God's People Go." God sent the Angel of Death to kill all the Egyptian firstborn including Pharaoh's son but the Angel of Death "Passed Over" the Israelite homes that had blood on their doorposts. Thus God ended the 430 years of bondage to His people in Egypt and 6,000 adults  plus children were released.

Jehovah God did not stop blessing His people with the Exodus out of Egypt. In Exodus 14 we learn of God leading His people through the Red Sea as Pharaoh and his armies pursued them. After all the Israelites arrived safely on the other side, God then caused the Egyptians to drown. Lastly, while God's people traveled in the wilderness for 40 years God provided bread from Heaven (Exodus 16:4) and water from a rock (Exodus 17:6).

Indeed, God kept the Abrahamic Covenant in many, many different ways. Bless His Holy Name! Our message next week will be the beginning of our study of the Mosaic Covenant. Stay Tuned!

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Every Day,

Frank 

   

God's Covenant People - Part Two

In last week's message we initiated the first in a series of messages about God's Covenants. We started by studying the Abrahamic Covenant that is an unconditional covenant meaning God will provide for His people. Let us look again at the wording of the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis 12:2, "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing." Notice Jehovah God says three times in one verse that He Will Do Many Acts That Provide for His People.

When we study the story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50, we see numerous times God keeping His promise of making His people into a great nation and His promise of blessing them. Joseph's brothers actually planned to kill him but Reuben and Judah stepped in and convinced the other brothers to sell Joseph to Ishmaelites traveling to Egypt. God blessed His people by putting Joseph in an authority position overseeing the famine in Egypt and Canaan. As a result, God's people were not affected by the famine and continued to exist.

Additionally, Pharaoh thought so much of Joseph that when Joseph's family moved to Egypt he offered them the land of Goshen considered the best land in Egypt. God kept His Covenant Promises to bless His people by saving them from the famine and giving them the best land in Egypt.

Now, let us look at God's promise to make His people into a "Great Nation." The atmosphere for God's Covenant people changed dramatically in Exodus 1 when a new king came to power in Egypt who did not know Joseph. He was concerned about the large number and the might and power of God's  people and placed heavy burdens on them. However, the more afflicted they were the mightier they became. Jehovah God kept His Covenant and made His people into a Great Nation. Hallelujah! 

The new king then ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill all the newborn Hebrew boys. The midwives disobeyed and God continued to multiply His people and make them a Mighty Nation. God also blessed the midwives with their own households. Bless His Holy Name!

Yes, Jehovah God keeps His Covenant Promises. For our next lesson we will conclude our study of the Abrahamic Covenant as God leads His people out of Egypt and blesses them during their 40 years in the wilderness. Stay Tuned.

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Everyday,

Frank       

God's Covenant People

If you are a regular reader of the weekly messages of the For Zion's Sake Ministry, you most likely notice we use the term God's Covenant People in describing the Jewish people. Many times we refer to them as God's Old Covenant People because all who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are living under the New Blood Covenant. All of this can be challenging to understand at times but it is vitally important because it establishes a relationship between Jehovah God and His people whether Jew or Gentile.

As a result, this week we are initiating a series of messages defining covenant and then studying in detail God's Abrahamic Covenant,  Mosaic Covenant and the New Blood Covenant. What then is a covenant? A covenant from God establishes a spiritual relationship with called and believing people. There are Conditional Covenants and Unconditional Covenants. An Unconditional Covenant means God does ALL by providing for His people. A Conditional Covenant means God will provide IF His people abide by His guidelines. If these guidelines are not followed, there will be consequences or judgments administered by God.   

The Abrahamic Covenant is illustrated in Genesis 12:2 in which God says to Abram, "I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing." Notice this is an Unconditional Covenant because God outlines all the blessings He will bring to Abram and his descendants. Through the Abrahamic Covenant, Jehovah God establishes a relationship with Abram and his descendants in four ways:

Abram will be the father of a great nation

God's people will receive personal blessings

God's people will receive personal honor

God's people will be a blessing to others

The Abrahamic Covenant is also illustrated in the following verses as God speaks to Abram:

I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth - Genesis 13:16

I will make my Covenant between Me and you - Genesis 17:2

You shall be a father of many nations - Genesis 17:4

I will establish My Covenant between Me and you

and your descendants - Genesis 17:7

The next message will examine how Abraham  and his descendants arrived in Egypt and how Jehovah God continues to facilitate the Abrahamic Covenant. Stay Tuned!

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Every Day,

Frank 

  

The Most Persecuted People

It is believed and has been said that "The Jewish People Are The Most Persecuted People In The World." Each year prior to Israel's Independence Day, they remember the fallen of Israel whether to war or terror on a day called The Day Of Remembrance. As of May 2017: 23,544 Israeli soldiers have lost their lives, 3,117 civilians have lost their lives due to terrorism, Israel has 9,157 bereaved parents, 4,881 widows, 1,843 orphans and 100,000 have been wounded.

Possibly you might be thinking, "How could all of this have happened?" I believe there are three primary reasons for the reality of these startling statistics. Our Jehovah God chose Abraham and his descendants to be His Covenant People. In Genesis 17:19 God said to Abraham, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bare you a son, and you will call him Isaac. 'I well establish My Covenant with him as an everlasting Covenant for his descendants after him.'" Why have the Jews been persecuted? Those who serve false gods cannot accept that The Word of The One True God says that the Jews are "God's Chosen People."

Then there is the continuing issue of the land of Israel. Again, Jehovah God spoke to Abraham and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the River of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates." (Genesis 15:18) God gave to His Covenant People all of current day Israel, Judea and Samaria and almost the entirety of the Middle East. Once again, there are those who cannot accept the truth of God's Word and resort to terror attacks attempting to eliminate the land of Israel and the Jewish people.

Lastly, persecution comes to the Jewish people because of their own disobedience and unbelief. At Mt. Sinai, Jehovah God enacted His Covenant with His people by presenting through Moses the Ten Commandments and numerous other laws. In Exodus 24:7 God's people responded and said, "We will do everything The Lord has said; we will obey." However, God's people do not always keep this commitment and God has called them, "A stiff - necked people." Even Moses could not enter the Holy Land because of disobedience.

What is your reaction to such a message? Do you want to help? Let me recommend a ministry called Bridges For Peace who functions to help the Jewish People in many areas including to bring comfort to those who mourn in Zion. Isaiah 40:1-2. (The Bridges For Peace web site is: www.bfpusa.org)

You Will Be Blessed As You Bless Israel,

Frank