Nature of the application of the Covenant to the physical land itself?

davidsuggs · #1 (**permalink**) 07-17-2009, 03:22 PM

I am curious as to the nature of the role that the land/earth itself plays into the covenant, if a Covenant (biblically) is a sovereignly administered contract between God and His elect. My question narrows a bit at God's use of the land as a means of punishment toward His disobedient creatures in Eden:

Quote:

Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it':
"Cursed is the ground for your sake;
In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of you life.
Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
And you shall eat the herb of the field.
In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return."

Gen. 3:17-19

Now I recognize that dirt is nothing in and of itself, and that God could, with no effort whatsoever, have made man ex nihilo as he did the rest of creation. Nevertheless, I am curious as to whether man has a different kind of relation to the land itself, at least covenantally, than he has to the rest of creation.

My real question, though, regards how powerfully the land was implemented into the covenant of works, as it is personified in Leviticus 18:24-28

Quote:

"'Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these things the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you. For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of you own nation or any stranger who dwells among you (for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you.'"

So how does the covenant work within the land, or is this symbolism? It may be a fairly easy question for most of you to answer for a layman it has been a thorn recently as I plow my way through Leviticus. Any ideas or literature on the topic would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

***Contra_Mundum*** · #2 (**permalink**) 07-18-2009, 02:39 AM

Canaan served a practical purpose, and it symbolically stood for several things, sometimes at the same time, or sequentially. Depended on the circumstance.

Practically, the promised Messiah needed to come into the world someplace, and that place was predicted. It was the "home" of the church at that time, the land of Israel. The people made the land home. God made a people, he needed to put them somewhere.

The land of Canaan represented a new heavens and earth to Abraham.
It represented Eden, before its possession (the family of Jacob must leave).
It represented Heaven, for the Israelites wandering in the desert (world).
It represented the world, as Israel sought to dominate and subdue it and beautify it.

God didn't make his creation as a stage for sinners to "do their thing." I'm far from being an environmentalist, but there is a theological sense in which man is a plague on the planet. God "scoured" the earth once in the flood, to "cleanse it" (so to speak). And he's planning on a thorough renovation, next time by fire.

Israel's permission to remain in this promised land was always contingent on their keeping covenant with their God who gave them the land. But to be cast out of it was a promise as well. Sin cannot be tolerated in God's kingdom. "Away with you; away from the presence of the Lord and of his blessing."

davidsuggs · #3 (**permalink**) 07-20-2009, 02:20 AM

Thank you that does help to clear things up. I was always curious as to the consequences for sin that are in the land or nature in and of themselves, insofar as they imitate the qualities of God in some sense (as God's art it would imitate reality to some extent, and God being the real and the genuine, though of course the real and genuine is not God).

Richard Tallach · #4 (**permalink**) 07-23-2009, 09:46 PM

God isn't going to be frustrated by the Devil.

The souls that God has made and redeemed will be sanctified and perfected for His glory.

The bodies that God has made and redeemed will be glorified unto His glory.

The earth and cosmos that He originally made and has given to Christ is the New Land of Israel and it will be turned into the fitting world for Christ and His people. Before the end of the world Christ will put all His enemies under His feet i.e. all nations will be converted nationally.

Nothing that God has made willl be wasted, but the Devil and his minions will be eternally punished.

Moses-Joshua and David-Solomon are double types of Christ.

The Land is a type of the Earth.

The Israelites are a type of the Church.

Blue Dog · #5 (**permalink**) 08-10-2009, 09:37 AM

What is meant by this? "i.e. all nations will be converted nationally." Can you eaborate on this Please?

Richard Tallach · #6 (**permalink**) 08-10-2009, 06:45 PM

I would check the threads under the Revelation and Eschatology section that deal with the Millennium.

Some are postmillennialists who believe that before the end of the world and the return of Christ the leaven of the Gospel will leaven the whole earth (according to the parable) leading to the vast majority of those in the nations of the world and the recognition of Christ and the Word of God in the constitutions and laws of the nations.

Casey · #7 (**permalink**) 08-10-2009, 07:11 PM

On the covenantal relationship between God's people and the land, ever since being driven from Eden, the relationship has not been as covenant of works, but rather a covenant of grace.

In relationship to the law, the WCF states that “true believers be not under the law, as a covenant of works, to be thereby justified, or condemned” and that the “promises of it [i.e., the law], in like manner, show them God’s approbation of obedience, and what blessings they may expect upon the performance thereof: although not as due to them by the law as a covenant of works. So as, a man’s doing good, and refraining from evil, because the law encourageth to the one, and deterreth from the other, is no evidence of his being under the law; and, not under grace” (19.6). The Scripture proofs associated with this section of the Confession (e.g., Ex. 19:5-6; Deut. 5:33; Lev. 18:5; Lev. 26:1-3; Ps. 19:11; Ps. 37:11) demonstrate that 19.6 describes the position of both OT and NT believers who are in the covenant of grace, not the covenant of works.

In other words, believers (in both the Old Covenant and New Covenant administrations) are promised rain, bread to the full, fruit on their trees, and safety in the land as blessings for their obedience “although not as due to them by the law as a covenant of works.” They (specifically those under the Old administration) will be vomited from the land if they no longer have faith. According to the Confession, even OT believers were under grace and not law.

So, there is a temporal benefit for obeying the law. Compare Exod. 20:12 with Eph. 6:1-3 regarding living long in the land/earth. The "land" should be understood within in this covenantal framework. These proof texts (mentioned above) speaking of temporal blessings and afflictions are, according to the Confession, not to be interpreted to mean that OT or NT believers are under the law as a covenant of works. Those who adhere to the “republication” doctrine use these very same Scriptures in an attempt to prove the contrary of the Confession’s teaching.