Page 51 - TH130 Kingdom of God A4 Final

The Kingdom and the Old Testament

beings, they were to serve Him and do His will. In Eden, God, the Creator
and Sovereign Ruler, delegated to Adam and Eve dominion over the earth:

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness,
and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air,
over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures
that move along the ground.” (Genesis 1:26)

Adam and Eve’s life in Eden before the fall is an early example of
the blessedness of life in the Kingdom. It illustrates mankind’s ideal
relationship to God, to one another, and to creation. It was from this
blessed state that humankind fell because of sin. Their fall created a
disruption in Kingdom existence. From that time, humanity has lived
in rebellion against God. The rest of the
Bible is the story of God reestablishing
His righteous reign over humans and
over His creation. Adam and Eve’s

life in Eden before
In the Pentateuch God made two
important covenants with His people. the fall is an early
The first one is called the “Abrahamic example of the
Covenant” (Genesis 12:1–3); the
second is called the “Mosaic Covenant” blessedness of life
(Exodus 19:5–8). In the next chapter, in the Kingdom.
we will discuss these and two other
“theocratic covenants” in detail. For
now, it is important to understand
that the Creator-King chooses to exercise His sovereign rule over His
people by entering into covenants with them. A covenant is a solemn
contract between two or more individuals. It describes the terms of their
relationship with one another.

In making these covenants with His people, God the King is saying, “If
you are to be a citizen in my kingdom, you will be required to conduct
yourself in certain prescribed ways.” In establishing His covenant
with Israel, God reminded them, “I am the LORD, who brought you
up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy”
(Leviticus 11:45).

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