James Reed's FORGE

God keeps His covenant. What God has promised, God will do, and has already done.

Get your colored pencils out and make a family tree. We're going to be talking about Father Abraham and his many sons. Then, we take a look at one of the most interesting characters in the whole Bible. Do you know his name?

“Covenants in Scripture are solemn agreements, negotiated or unilaterally imposed, that bind the parties to each other in permanent defined relationships, with specific promises, claims, and obligations on both sides (e.g., the marriage covenant, Mal. 2:14).

When God makes a covenant with His creatures, He alone establishes its terms, as His covenant with Noah and every living creature shows (Gen. 9:9). When Adam and Eve failed to obey the terms of the covenant of works (see Gen. 3:6 and theological note “The Fall”), God did not destroy them, but revealed His covenant of grace by promising a Savior (Gen. 3:15). God’s covenant rests on His promise, as is clear from His covenant with Abraham. He called Abraham to go to the land that He would give him, and promised to bless him and all the families of the earth through him (Gen. 12:1–3). Abraham heeded God’s call because he believed God’s promise; it was his faith in the promise that was credited to him for righteousness (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:18–22). God’s covenant with Israel at Sinai is in the form of the ancient Near Eastern suzerainty treaties. These are covenants imposed unilaterally by a powerful king on a vassal king and a servant people.

Although the covenant at Sinai required obedience to God’s laws under the threat of His curse, it was a continuation of the covenant of grace (Ex. 3:15; Deut. 7:7, 8; 9:5, 6). God gave the commandments to a people He had already redeemed and claimed (Ex. 19:4; 20:2). The gracious promise of God’s covenant was further defined through the types and shadows of the law given to Moses. The failure of the Israelites to keep His covenant showed the need for a new covenant that would bestow the power to obey (Jer. 31:31–34; 32:38–40; cf. Gen. 17:7; Ex. 6:7; 29:45, 46; Lev. 11:44, 45; 26:12).

God’s covenant with Israel was preparation for the coming of God Himself, in the person of His Son, to fulfill all His promises, and to give substance to the shadows cast by the types (Is. 40:10; Mal. 3:1; John 1:14; Heb. 7–10). Jesus Christ, the Mediator of the new covenant, offered Himself as the true and final sacrifice for sin. He obeyed the law perfectly, and as the Second Adam (second representative head of the human race) He became the inheritor, with those united with Him by faith, of all the covenant blessings of peace and fellowship with God in His renewed creation. The temporary Old Testament arrangements for imparting those blessings became obsolete when what they anticipated was realized.

As Heb. 7–10 explains, through Christ God inaugurated a better version of His one eternal covenant with sinners (Heb. 13:20)—a better covenant with better promises (Heb. 8:6), based on a better sacrifice (Heb. 9:23) offered by a better high priest in a better sanctuary (Heb. 7:26–8:6, 11, 12, 13). This better covenant guarantees a better hope than had ever been made explicit by the former version of the covenant—glory with God in “a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Heb. 11:16; cf. v. 40)."

R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (Orlando, FL; Lake Mary, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2005), 30.

Chapter 11 has been called the “Table of Nations” because various ethnic groups can be traced to this chapter and the people mentioned here. It is the earliest ethnological table in the literature of the ancient world. This chapter pre-dates Homer’s writings. Virtually all names found here can also be found in ancient literature and archaeological discoveries of the past 2 centuries.

Chapter 11 is where we read of The Tower of Babel. You will remember that we were just introduced to Nimrod. From the book, The Genesis Record, Dr. Moris tells us that Nimrod and his followers were the founders of polytheism and idolatry.

This was the final episode of season 1. I was still learning-- obviously. I attempted here to re-record the original and make a few improvements. Hopefully, this will be a little easier to hear. I remain convinced that those whom the Lord wants to hear this will indeed hear it.

We have covered a lot in these first 9 chapters of Genesis. This is a great place to pause for a review. Everything moving forward from this point in the human story is in a post-flood world. The world and all of creation as it looked during the first 1,650 years or so is now forever changed.

Check out the following for more resources:

Answers in Genesis 

Biblical Science Institute |

Dr. Lisle | Biblical Science Institute

Topix | Biblical Science Institute

The Secret Code of Creation - Dr. Jason Lisle - Bing video

In this episode, we take a look at the post-flood world. We also see God's covenant-- initiated, made, and kept by Him.

In this relatively short episode, we take a look at the day Noah and his family gathered into the ark.

Not only does the Bible have a talking serpent mentioned within its pages, but it also mentions giants. Where did they come from? Are there clues in Genesis 6:2 and 4 along with Job 1:6; 2:1 and 38:7? Numbers 13:33; Deut. 2:11, 20; 3:11, 13; 1 Chron. 20:4, 6, 8; and 2 Sam. 21:16, 18, 20, 22 all mention giants. We also take a look at 2 Peter 2:4-5, 8 and Jude 6. Did you know the giant Goliath had a brother named Lahmi? Read 1 Chron. 29:4-8. He had 6 fingers on each hand and 6 toes on each foot.

How many railroad boxcars do you think you could fit into Noah's Ark? How many sheep?

While this is all very interesting, what we should take away from Genesis 6 is that mankind had become so incredibly wicked that God decided to destroy the earth and all humans by means of a flood. Only Noah and his wife, their sons and their sons' wives would be saved. God chose Noah, and He made a covenant with Noah which resulted in salvation for Noah and his family.

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