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“So I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. Then, when I make atonement for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign Lord.” Ezekiel 16:62-63 NIV
Then – When did God forgive Israel? Perhaps a follow up question makes the point. When did God forgive you? Through the prophet Ezekiel, YHWH gives us some insight into the answers. According to YHWH’s statement, He will establish his covenant after He makes atonement. At least that’s what you would think if you read the text in the NIV. This leads us to conclude that the covenant and the atonement are two separate events. The covenant comes first and the atonement comes later.
But what if I told you that the word “then” does not appear in the Hebrew text. Both the ESV and the NASB do not include this extra temporal condition. The Hebrew text reads kelimatek bekapperilak (“your shame when I atone”). There is no extra temporal condition. The NIV adds this to the text. (By the way, do you see the word kipper as kapper in the second Hebrew morphology? That’s why the translation should be “atone” not “forgive” as in NASB. There is a difference in the way we think of the words).
Why would the NIV add this temporal modifier? It’s obvious. The translators of the NIV want their readers to think that there is a separation between covenant and atonement. The Old Testament covenant came first. The New Testament atonement came later. Full forgiveness is accomplished only after the New Testament atonement. In other words, the NIV translation supports the idea that atonement occurs in the death of Yeshua on the cross, not in the action of YHWH when the covenant is established. Now you can appreciate why I refer to the NIV as the Nearly Inspired Version. In my view, the NIV cannot be trusted as an accurate, unbiased translation of the original text. Its theological agenda constantly shows up in the choice of vocabulary and the manipulation of the text. I hate to say this, but if there were ever a more disguised attempt to steer believers away from the truth of Scripture, I couldn’t think of a better way to do it.
Now let’s answer the two opening questions. When was Israel forgiven? The second God established His covenant with them. When was that? A long time before the cross. When were you forgiven? The moment Yeshua laid down His life on the altar in the heavenly temple. When was that? Before the foundation of the world. Israel didn’t have to wait for the cross to come near to God. Neither did you or I. The fact that we live after the event of the cross doesn’t change the means by which we come into fellowship with the Father. That access was established before any human being existed. We come into fellowship the same way that Israel does – through YHWH’s covenant. We might notice one other thing in this verse. YHWH makes the atonement in concert with the covenant. He doesn’t wait thousands of years for Pilate’s decision either.
Topical Index: then, atonement, covenant, NIV, Ezekiel 16:62-63, cross
Hi Skip, just a quick question.
I went back and read this passage again and it seems to be in regards to God not only remembering the covenant He established, but “raising” up an everlasting covenant for them, because they had breached the original one. Would this not place the atonement for them in a “future” tense, at least insofar as the people Ezekiel was speaking to?
I’m “on board” as far as the timing of forgiveness being from the foundation of the world. I would suppose that my question is in regards as to “when” this renewed/new covenant “kicked in” for these people being spoken to.
YHWH bless you and keep you…….
But John (Rev. 13:80, Peter (1 Pet 2:) and the author of Hebrews all tell us that the atonement occurred before the foundation of the world in the heavenly temple, so if that is true, then the provision for wiping away the guilt of defilement was always there. Remember that God clothed Adam. Why do we so desperately need to locate forgiveness and the removal of guilt in our history when we have three biblical witnesses that say otherwise? And the “renewed” covenant is not about provision for forgiveness. It is about re-establishing the people of Torah – renewing life based on God’s instructions. What theological motivation forces us to position forgiveness as an act that has retroactive atonement for those whom God favored before Yeshua arrived?
Thanks, Skip. This validates some of the preaching that I have done recently. Oh how the bodies seem to squirm. Just like mine has done in the past.
“The moment Yeshua laid down His life on the altar in the heavenly temple. When was that? Before the foundation of the world.”
Skip, What is the scripture reference to the statement above? And which is the best translation to read it?
Thanks,
Please review the many Today’s Word editions over the last month or so about this. Start with Revelation 13:8
Please review the many TW’s on this topic over the last couple of months. Start with Revelation 13:8
“The moment Yeshua laid down His life on the altar in the heavenly temple. When was that? Before the foundation of the world. Israel didn’t have to wait for the cross to come near to God. Neither did you or I.”
Then, why did Yeshua have incarnate as a human and then be crucified?
Ae we able, with great effort, to separate our usual confluence of forgiveness for sin from the issue of death? Must they always be treated together? Does incarnation always imply sacrifice for sin in our minds? What do we do about God’s favor on those who lived long before the incarnation? Maybe we should be asking, “If God forgave long before the incarnation, then what was the purpose of God coming in the flesh?” Could it be that some other essential still needed to be accomplished? Like just maybe the guarantee that restoration of the entire cosmos was at hand?
Very interesting thoughts Skip. I can’t even fathom what sort of emotion He must have felt when He came in human form to destroy Sodom much less what He is experiencing as He brings judgment on us now. It must be something like what we feel during deep groaning intercession for others. Yes, I can see going through what He went through it save His beloved children.
What and who do you think we are? What were we before He formed us as humans? Where were we when we were with Him before? What were we? Why are we so important to Him? Does He love us so much because love is His nature?
Humm… Do you have some thoughts on what that other essential might have been? What a heavy price to incarnate, live with people who could not relate to or fathom Him, encounter people who hated Him, and finally being slowly tourtured to death. He really experienced the refining fire to an extreme degree. Why?
Thanks, Skip!
Did God reveal Himself in human form before the “incarnation”? Was that any less difficult or painful? What price would you pay if you could remove the defilement of death from all creation?