Tag Archives: covenant faithfulness

When Believers Celebrate God’s Victory Over the Wicked

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Throughout Scripture there are instances where God’s people celebrate the destruction of their enemies, not out of personal vindictiveness, but in recognition of God’s righteous judgment and saving power. When Israel was delivered from Egypt, Moses and the people sang, “The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is His name. Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea” (Ex 15:3-4). This song exalted God’s power and justice in overthrowing those who opposed His people. Similarly, Deborah and Barak sang after the defeat of Sisera and the Canaanite forces, praising God for granting victory (Judg 5:1-31). The psalms also contain imprecatory elements where God’s servants rejoice at His judgment on the wicked. One psalmist wrote, “The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. And men will say, ‘Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth!’” (Psa 58:10-11). Ross correctly notes, “The imprecations are not personal vendettas; they express concern over what concerns the LORD and they pray for God’s justice to be vindicated.” (Allen P. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms 1–89, vol. 2, 297). In each of these, the focus is not gloating over human suffering but celebrating God’s justice, protection, and covenant faithfulness.

In Revelation 19, when the saints shout “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; because His judgments are true and righteous” (Rev 19:1-2), the same principle is at work. Ryrie states, “The word [hallelujah] occurs only in this chapter in the entire NT…The praise is for salvation (v. 1), for righteous retribution (vv. 2–3), for God Himself (vv. 4–5), and for His reign (v. 6).” (Ryrie Study Bible, Revelation 19:1-6). The rejoicing is over the manifestation of God’s justice in bringing down Babylon—the world system that corrupted the earth and persecuted the saints. The repeated hallelujahs in Revelation 19 are the climactic echo of earlier biblical celebrations of deliverance: they magnify God’s holiness, vindicate His name, and affirm that His kingdom is being established. Thus, the rejoicing of the saints in Revelation is consistent with the Old Testament pattern—praise rooted in God’s justice and faithfulness, not personal vengeance.

Paul’s instruction in Romans 12:19 provides an important balance for understanding this theme. Believers are not called to take vengeance into their own hands. Paul wrote, “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Rom 12:19). This prohibition guards the Christian against personal malice or retaliation, which is inconsistent with the love command (Rom 12:20-21). At the same time, it directs the believer’s confidence toward God’s perfect justice, for “it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you” (2 Th 1:6). Scripture does allow for legitimate self-defense in certain situations (Ex 22:2; Luke 22:36), but believers are never to pursue personal vengeance or vindictiveness. There’s no place for hatred in the heart of any Christian. God will dispense justice in His time and manner. When judgment comes, whether in historical acts of deliverance or in eschatological fulfillment (as in Rev 19), the rejoicing of the saints is not about human revenge but about God vindicating His name, protecting His people, and displaying His righteousness. In this way, the celebration of divine judgment is fully compatible with the believer’s present call to love enemies and trust God to set all things right in His perfect time.

Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.

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Israel’s Land Not Fully Possessed

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God promised to give the nation of Israel a specific territory as an everlasting possession. The Lord said to Abram, “For all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever” (Gen 13:15). This unconditional covenantal grant of land was reaffirmed to Isaac and Jacob (Gen 26:3; 28:13), encompassing a vast region “from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates” (Gen 15:18). Historically, Israel has never possessed the full extent of this promised territory. However, many covenant theologians assert that God has already fulfilled His land promise to Israel, appealing to certain Old Testament passages as proof. They point, for example, to Joshua’s record: “So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses… Thus the land had rest from war” (Josh 11:23), and again, “the Lord gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it… Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass” (Josh 21:43–45; cf. Josh 23:14). These verses are taken as evidence, by covenant theologians, that the Abrahamic land grant found its completion in the conquest under Joshua. Additionally, the statement that “Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt” (1 Ki 4:21) is taken as evidence that Israel’s territory extended to the full Abrahamic boundaries (Gen 15:18). Even Nehemiah’s affirmation, “You… made a covenant with him to give the land… and You have fulfilled Your promise, for You are righteous” (Neh 9:7–8), is cited as confirmation that the divine land promise was fully realized.

However, though God fulfilled His promise in bringing Israel into the land, the narrative of Joshua makes it clear that large portions of territory remained unconquered. The Lord said to Joshua, “You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land remains to be possessed” (Josh 13:1). Scripture further records that “the sons of Manasseh could not take possession of these cities” (Josh 17:12), that “they did not drive them out completely” (Josh 17:13), and that “they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer” (Josh 16:10; cf. 15:63; 23:12–13). Following Joshua’s death, the book of Judges repeatedly affirms Israel’s incomplete obedience, stating that the tribes “did not drive out” the Canaanites from numerous regions (Judg 1:19, 21, 27–36). These repeated statements demonstrate that, while Israel possessed the land in principle under God’s covenant faithfulness, the full territorial boundaries promised to Abraham were not yet realized in practice. Fruchtenbaum notes, “Never in Old Testament history did Israel possess, dwell, and settle in all of the Promised Land. Nor did it ever happen in Jewish history since. However, the Palestinian Covenant guarantees that some day it will.”[1]

The conquest under Joshua and the later monarchy under Solomon cannot be regarded as the final fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant. Numerous prophecies anticipated Israel’s future inheritance of the land (Amos 9:14–15), and the nation never possessed the full extent of the territory promised to Abraham, which stretched eastward to the Euphrates (Gen 15:18). Israel’s occupation was neither permanent—since the Babylonian exile removed them from the land—nor complete, as Judges records that many Canaanite cities remained unconquered (Judg 1:27–34). The land described in Joshua 21 corresponded only to the Mosaic boundaries of Numbers 34, not the larger Abrahamic grant. Even in the New Testament era, Israel still awaited national restoration (Acts 1:6–8; Rom 11:25).

The book of Joshua, therefore, celebrates God’s covenant faithfulness in bringing His people into the land (Josh 21:43–45), yet it also acknowledges that their occupation was partial and temporary rather than ultimate and complete (Josh 13:1; 23:12–13). According to Phillips, “Not even during the great days of David and Solomon did Israel possess more than a tithe of the total land grant that is hers under the Abrahamic covenant.”[2] Geisler states that Israel “did not possess all the land that was promised to Abraham, namely, east of Jordan all the way to the Euphrates (Gen 15:18)… they did not possess it forever, as promised to Abraham, but were later dispossessed of it by the Babylonian captivity.”[3] Campbell adds, “This did not mean that every corner of the land was in Israel’s possession, for God Himself had told Israel they would conquer the land gradually (Deut 7:22).”[4] The conquest fulfilled God’s word to that generation, but not the full scope of the Abrahamic promise, which extends “from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates” (Gen 15:18). Campbell further states, “Joshua 21:43 refers to the extent of the land as outlined in Numbers 34 and not to the ultimate extent as it will be in the messianic kingdom (Gen 15:18–21). Also, though Israel possessed the land at this time it was later dispossessed, whereas the Abrahamic Covenant promised Israel that she would possess the land forever (Gen 17:8).”[5]

Joshua 21:43 must be read in light of other passages of Scripture. It means that God fulfilled His word to that generation by granting the land they actually claimed in faith. The Lord had said, “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses” (Josh 1:3). God’s word to Joshua, therefore, was limited to the immediate context of conquest and distribution, not to the ultimate fulfillment of the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Regarding the remaining nations in the land, Joshua reminded Israel, “The Lord your God, He will thrust them out from before you and drive them from before you; and you will possess their land, just as the Lord your God promised you” (Josh 23:5). Yet even by the end of Joshua’s life, those nations still occupied significant portions of Canaan, a fact repeatedly acknowledged in the text (Josh 13:1–6; 23:12–13). Consequently, Joshua’s declaration that “the Lord gave Israel all the land” (21:43) should be understood through what scholars identify as representative universalism—a Hebrew idiom in which a part is spoken of as the whole. This linguistic feature is common in Scripture, where comprehensive terms convey theological completeness rather than exhaustive literal scope. Thomas Constable observes:

It was common among the Semites to regard a part of the whole as the whole (cf. Deut 26:5–10; 1 Kings 13:32; Jer 31:5; 2 Sam 5:6–10; Rev 14:1; 22:2; Rom 15:19–24). The name for this viewpoint is “representative universalism.” Some students of this passage believe that the writer was taking this view here. He was speaking in universal terms. He regarded the individual kings, towns, and areas that had been subdued as representative of the entire land of Canaan.[6]

This idiom appears elsewhere in the Old Testament. When Scripture says that “all the earth” came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph (Gen 41:57), it does not mean every person on the globe. Similarly, “all Judea” and “all Jerusalem” going out to John the Baptist (Mark 1:5) or Solomon ruling “over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt” (1 Ki 4:21) communicate general, not absolute, universality. Joshua’s use of this idiom expresses the theological truth that God had completely fulfilled what He promised to that generation. He had given them victory, possession, and rest. The remaining land would be conquered gradually, contingent upon Israel’s continued faith and obedience (Josh 23:5–13; cf. Judg 1:19, 27–36).

Therefore, the statements “the Lord gave Israel all the land” and “not one word has failed” (Josh 21:43–45; 23:14) should be understood as declarations of God’s proven covenant faithfulness within the historical framework of Joshua’s leadership. They do not mean that every geographical boundary of the Abrahamic Covenant was realized, but that God had done all He promised at that stage in redemptive history. Israel’s rest in the land (Josh 22:4; 23:1) was temporary and conditional, anticipating a greater rest that remains for the people of God (cf. Heb 4:8–9).

The Abrahamic Covenant itself remains unconditional and eternal, rooted in God’s sovereign promise and not dependent upon Israel’s obedience (Gen 12:1–3; 15:18–21; 17:7–8). Israel’s possession under Joshua was real but provisional. Their later disobedience brought discipline and dispersion, but not the cancellation of God’s covenantal oath. The full and everlasting fulfillment awaits the future Messianic Kingdom, when Israel will dwell securely in all the territory promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Gen 15:18; Isa 11:10–16; Ezek 47:13–23; Zech 14:9–11). Thus, Joshua’s record stands as a powerful testimony to divine faithfulness—God did everything He promised in that generation, and He will yet do all He has pledged in the ages to come.

Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.

If this article has enriched your understanding and walk with Christ, and you feel led to support my ministry, your generosity is greatly appreciated. Your gifts enable me to continue sharing the gospel of grace and providing in-depth biblical teachings. Thank you for partnering with me in this mission.

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[1] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Israelology: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology, Rev. ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 1994), 632.

[2] John Phillips, Exploring the Minor Prophets (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp., 2009), Ob 19–20.

[3] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Four: Church, Last Things (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2005), 579.

[4] Donald K. Campbell, “Joshua,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 364.

[5] Ibid., 365.

[6] Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Josh 21:43.

God’s Faithfulness to Israel

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God created Israel as a unique nation, set apart from all others. Scripture declares, “Thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine’” (Isa 43:1). Here, God is identified as Israel’s “Creator” (בָּרָא bara) and the One who “formed” (יָצַר yāṣar) them. The word bara (create) is used in Genesis 1:1 for God’s unique, sovereign act of creation. In Isaiah 43:1, it highlights God’s initiative in bringing Israel into existence as a nation, both physically and covenantally. The parallel yāṣar (“form”) adds the imagery of craftsmanship or shaping, emphasizing God’s intentional design of Israel for His purposes (cf. Isa 43:21). Radmacher states, “The use of these verbs here suggests that the Lord’s creation of Israel as a people was as decisive an act as His creation of human beings at the beginning.”[1] According to Young, “The participle creator suggests creation out of nothing. Yahweh chose the nation at Sinai, created it out of nothing, and made of it the theocracy. When He approached Israel in covenant, it was a slave people in Egypt, not even an independent nation able to stand on its own. What Israel has become, therefore, is due to the pure grace of God alone.”[2]

Israel’s existence is no accident of history but the result of God’s sovereign purpose. He chose them not for their size or virtue but because of His covenant love and oath to the patriarchs: Abraham (Gen 12:1-3), Isaac (Gen 26:3-5), and Jacob (Gen 28:13-15). Moses declared, “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers” (Deut 7:7-8). Craigie states. “Negatively, they were not chosen on the basis of their numerical strength; they were numerically a very small people in the context of other Near Eastern peoples and nations. Positively, they were chosen because the Lord loved them; the reason for God’s special love, though it contained within it a purpose, remains essentially a mystery.”[3]

At the heart of Israel’s identity lies the Abrahamic Covenant, in which God promised Abraham land, descendants, and blessing for all nations through him (Gen 12:1-3; 15:18-21; 17:7-8). These promises were unconditional, secured by God’s own oath (Gen 22:16-18; Heb 6:13-18). God regards Israel as “the apple of His eye” (Deut 32:10; Zech 2:8), and He loves them forever, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have drawn you with lovingkindness” (Jer 31:3). According to Chafer, “An everlasting love includes a love from all eternity past and extends on into eternity to come. This nation is thus loved in spite of their evil and multiplied rejections of Jehovah. That everlasting love will yet prevail and this unworthy people will inherit all that Jehovah has determined.”[4]

Israel’s continued existence rests on God’s covenant faithfulness, “For the LORD will not abandon His people on account of His great name” (1Sam 12:22a), and, “the LORD will not abandon His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance” (Psa 94:14).[5] Paul states, for “to them belong the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh” (Rom 9:4-5). So certain is their preservation that the Lord ties their continued existence to the stability of creation itself: “Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night… ‘If this fixed order departs from before Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘then the offspring of Israel also will cease from being a nation before Me forever’” (Jer 31:35-36).

God originally entrusted Israel with a priestly calling, saying, “Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex 19:5-6). Their role was not only to serve the Lord in holiness but also to be a witness to the surrounding nations, for the Lord declared of His Servant Israel, “I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isa 49:6; cf. Deut 4:6-8). Yet rather than remaining distinct, Israel often adopted the corrupt values and idolatrous practices of the nations around them, as the Lord said, “They mingled with the nations and learned their practices, and served their idols, which became a snare to them” (Psa 106:35-36; cf. 2 Kgs 17:7-12). Ross notes, “It is hard to imagine how quickly the Israelites embraced these horrible sins of idolatry and murder of the innocent in the name of religion. But they did, and as a result they defiled the land with the shedding of innocent blood.”[6] Because of Israel’s unfaithfulness, God had to discipline them, sending them into captivity and scattering them among the nations. Jeremiah wrote, “The Lord has done what He purposed; He has accomplished His word which He commanded from days of old. He has thrown down without sparing, and He has caused the enemy to rejoice over you” (Lam 2:17; cf. Judg 2:11-15; 2 Chr 36:15-17).

Tragically, Israel also rejected her Messiah when He came. The apostle John records, “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). Israel’s leaders even went so far as to accuse the Messiah of casting out demons by the power of Satan (Matt 12:24; Mark 3:22). Jesus Himself wept over Jerusalem, lamenting their stubborn unbelief, saying, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate” (Matt 23:37-38). Concerning Israel’s rejection of Jesus as the Messiah, Peter states, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (1 Pet 2:7). The “stone” refers to Christ Himself, whom Israel rejected. Fruchtenbaum states, “The stone is Jesus the Messiah who is both elect and precious according to 1 Pet 2:4. In this case, He is not merely a stone; He is the chief corner stone.”[7] Because of this rejection, God brought judgment upon the nation, seen most vividly in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and their ongoing dispersion. Paul further clarifies that this rejection led to a “partial hardening” of Israel, which is temporary and will last “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Rom 11:25). This means that God has set aside Israel as a nation in the present age while He gathers a people from both Jews and Gentiles, but His covenant promises to Israel remain and will be fulfilled in the future (Rom 11:26-29).

God’s promises to Israel remain irrevocable. Paul affirms, “From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom 11:28-29). Even when under divine discipline, the Lord will not cast them off entirely, for “when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I so abhor them as to destroy them, breaking My covenant with them; for I am the Lord their God” (Lev 26:44). Israel remains the object of His covenant promises, including the coming New Covenant. God said, “Behold, days are coming… when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah… I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Jer 31:31-33). While the Church shares in spiritual blessings of this covenant (2 Cor 3:6; Heb 8:6-13), its national fulfillment awaits Israel’s future restoration.

That future will unfold when Messiah returns in glory, when “they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son” (Zech 12:10). In that day, “all Israel will be saved, just as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins’” (Rom 11:26-27). Christ will reign from Jerusalem (for a thousand years), the city God has chosen, “For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. ‘This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it’” (Psa 132:13-14). The nations will stream to Jerusalem for blessing and instruction, saying, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths” (Isa 2:3). Israel will at last fulfill her calling to be a light to the nations (Isa 49:6; 60:1-3), and the whole earth will be filled with the glory of God.

This unfolding plan warns the nations that how they treat Israel carries eschatological consequence, for the Lord declares, “I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel… and they have divided up My land” (Joel 3:2). Israel’s preservation is therefore not merely about Israel, but about the very integrity of God Himself. Paul wrote, “What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar” (Rom 3:3-4).

Christians, then, must resist the error of replacement theology, which denies Israel’s future and claims her promises for the Church. Paul warns Gentile believers, “Do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you” (Rom 11:18). The Church has not replaced Israel but has been graciously grafted in to share in Israel’s blessings through Christ (Rom 11:17). Therefore, Christians should love the Jewish people, resist anti-Semitism in every form, and anticipate with joy the day of their national restoration. Believers are exhorted to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you’” (Psa 122:6). This means praying for Israel’s present security, but more importantly for their ultimate peace in Messiah, the “Prince of Peace” (Isa 9:6). To pray for Israel is to align with God’s covenant purpose, anticipate Christ’s coming kingdom reign (Zech 14:16-19), and bear witness to God’s faithfulness before the world.

Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.

If this article has enriched your understanding and walk with Christ, and you feel led to support my ministry, your generosity is greatly appreciated. Your gifts enable me to continue sharing the gospel of grace and providing in-depth biblical teachings. Thank you for partnering with me in this mission.

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[1] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald Barclay Allen, and H. Wayne House, Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1999), 851.

[2] Edward Young, The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40–66, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1972), 138.

[3] Peter C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976), 179–180.

[4] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. 4 (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1993), 317.

[5] Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly acts for His name’s sake, preserving His reputation and covenant faithfulness despite the failures of His people. Moses appealed to this when interceding for Israel after the golden calf (Ex 32:12), and the prophets emphasized it in Israel’s restoration: “It is not for your sake … but for My holy name” (Ezek 36:22). The psalmists likewise prayed on this basis, asking God to pardon and guide “for Your name’s sake” (Psa 23:3; 25:11).

[6] Allen P. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms (90–150): Commentary, vol. 3, Kregel Exegetical Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2016), 291.

[7] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Messianic Jewish Epistles: Hebrews, James, First Peter, Second Peter, Jude, 1st ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2005), 341.