Getting Job-ed
The next three articles will be sourced from my final paper I wrote for my Biblical Theology course. This is part 1 of 3 for us to explore what Biblical Theology is and the major themes that are seen throughout Scripture:
Biblical Theology seeks to, “give special attention to the teachings of individual authors and sections of Scripture and to the place of each teaching in the historical development of Scripture (both Old and New Testament).”(1) Throughout our course in Biblical Theology, we have studied this historical development and progression of Scripture in view of major themes of the Bible that included the Kingdom of God, God’s covenants with His people, and the Temple of God (God’s dwelling place). The purpose of this paper is to review how these themes help us understand and interpret the Bible, how they are interconnected and woven together in Scripture, how they develop in Scripture, and finally, what applications these themes have in our lives.
At the beginning of this discourse, it would be proper to define the terms of the Kingdom of God, God’s Covenants, and the Temple of God. The Kingdom of God refers to, “God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule and blessing.”(2) God’s covenants would be defined as “a bond in blood sovereignly administered.”(3) Covenants refer to a very serious agreement between two parties in that if the agreement is breached, it means that there are very serious consequences. The Temple of God could be viewed as the “dwelling place of God… the holy presence of God that brings wisdom.”(4) These concepts are seen throughout Scripture, whether directly or indirectly expressed. However, for the sake of this discourse, we will see how these progressively build upon each other in epochal form through the major covenant periods that are seen throughout Scripture.(5)
Before we look at the Covenant periods in relation to the Kingdom of God and Temple, we have to explore the concept of covenants in more depth. Covenants have both unconditional elements that are initiated by God, and also conditional elements that are met by both parties.(6) Divine covenants in the Bible have been likened to Suzerain-Vassal Treaties, which are, “international agreements that great kings established with lesser, subservient kings and their nations.”(7) The Suzerain-Vassal Treaties typically are threefold in and consist of: royal benevolence, vassal loyalty, and then consequences (whether blessing/benefits or judgment/curses).(8) Each covenant, also, does not nullify the preceding covenant but builds on them in a progressive nature as we will see in this discussion.
During the Adamic Covenant period, we see that God creates the universe and mankind, giving mankind a specific purpose and job. We see that the Bible says that God made mankind in His image, to multiply in order to fill the earth and to subdue the earth (Genesis 1:26-28). God Also commands mankind that all fruits in the garden are good to eat, but that if he eats from the tree of knowledge of good and evil that he will die (Genesis 2:15-16). We can see the pattern here in the Suzerain-Vassal treaty: 1. God is the Great King that demonstrated divine benevolence in creating mankind and provides for them, 2. He demands vassal loyalty in completing their tasks given to them (fill the earth with His image, subdue the earth, and to not eat of that one specific tree), and 3. the consequence of not following His commands is death. We see this also in view of the Kingdom of God: Mankind is created in the image of God (God’s people), are placed in the garden of Eden (God’s place), and are blessed with a relationship with God Himself and with His other creation (Woman, nature, etc.).(9)
Of course, this perfect existence does not last long in our narrative. Adam and Eve are tempted by the serpent and sin against God in Genesis 3:1-7. This was a failure on multiple parts: mankind failed their mission to maintain the garden which would include keeping the serpent out (likened to priestly duties in Numbers 3:8).(10) Once the serpent has breached the walls of Eden, he attacks the validity of God’s Word and calls into question mankind’s true loyalty: will they trust in God’s will or in their own? Mankind failed their mission then and has been failing miserably ever since this event.
According to the covenantal agreement, with mankind breaking their portion, death was the consequence. God does not outright kill mankind at that time, in which He would have been perfectly justified in doing so. Instead, God covers their sins with the death of an animal (Genesis 3:21) and casts judgment of eventual pain, strife, and eventual death with mankind in the future (Genesis 3:16-19). God’s judgment on the serpent is very important: “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head and you will strike his heel (Genesis 3:15 Christian Standard Bible).” This hostility between the woman and the serpent/his offspring sets them apart from each other and then promises that from the woman’s lineage will be One that crushes the serpent’s head.(11) Who will be the offspring of the woman that will be bruised but will defeat the serpent with a lethal blow? (12)
The information was sourced from: Final Paper: The Kingdom of God, God’s Covenants, and Temple by Austin Rankin for Biblical Theology: BIB-600-2AO71 (Belhaven University)
Footnotes
1. Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, 2nd ed. (Great Britain, InterVarsity
Press, 2020), 3.
2. Vaughn Roberts, God’s Big Picture (Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 22.
3. O. Palmer Robertson, Covenants (Pennsylvania: Great Commission Publications, 1987), 11.
4. Beale and Kim, God Dwells Among Us (Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2014), 18.
5. Third Millennium Ministries. “Kingdom, Covenants, & Canon of the Old Testament Lesson 1: Why Study the Old
Testament?” https://thirdmill.org/seminary/lesson.asp/vid/38.
6. Third Millennium Ministries. “Kingdom, Covenants, & Canon of the Old Testament Lesson 3: Divine Covenants.”https://thirdmill.org/seminary/lesson.asp/vid/40
7. Third Millennium Ministries. “Kingdom, Covenants, & Canon of the Old Testament Lesson 3: Divine Covenants.”
8. Third Millennium Ministries. “Kingdom, Covenants, & Canon of the Old Testament Lesson 3: Divine Covenants.”
9. Roberts, God’s Big Picture, 34.
10. Beale and Kim, God Dwells Among Us, 25.
11. Robertson, Covenants, 24-27.
12. “Overview: Genesis 1-11,” Read Scripture, Bible Project, accessed October 9, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQI72THyO5I
