Of the covenant of grace, as
exhibited in the times of david, and the succeeding prophets, to the coming of
christ
John Gill
Christ, the great blessing of
the covenant, was spoken of by all "the holy prophets which
have been since the world began"; by the patriarch prophets; by Moses and
others; but more abundantly by the prophets of a later date; God, who at sundry
times, in different ages of the world; "and in divers manners", as by
angels, by vision, by dreams and impulses on the mind; "spake in times
past to the fathers by the prophets", concerning his mind and will, the
covenant of his grace, and the blessings of it; to which
dispensation of things is opposed that which is by Christ; "hath in these
last days spoken unto us by his Son", #Lu 1:70 Heb 1:1,2. From whence it
appears, that the first administration of the covenant of grace, as has been
observed, reached from the beginning of the world, or near it, to the coming of
Christ; and now having traced it from Adam to Noah, from Noah to Abraham, from Abraham to Moses, and from Moses to David; I shall next
consider it as more clearly manifested in the times of David, and by succeeding
prophets, to the coming of Christ. And begin,
1. First, with David, who was
a prophet, and by whom the Spirit of God spake concerning
Christ, and the covenant of grace made with him, #Ac 2:30 1:16 2Sa 23:2-5. The grace
of the covenant was displayed in him, the blessings of it were bestowed on him,
the covenant itself was made with him; not only the covenant of royalty,
concerning the succession of the kingdom of Israel in his family; but the
special covenant of grace, in which his own salvation lay; a covenant ordered
in all things and sure, and an everlasting one, #2Sa 23:5.
This was made with him, as he declares, that is, made manifest and applied unto
him, and he was assured of his interest in it. He was an eminent type of
Christ, who is therefore often called by his name, #Ps 89:3,20 Eze 34:23,24
37:24 Ho 3:5. In his person, in the comeliness of it; in his character and
employment, as a shepherd; in his offices, of prophet and king; in
his afflictions and persecutions; and in his wars and victories. And great
light and knowledge he had of things respecting Christ and his grace, as the
book of Psalms, written by him, under divine inspiration, abundantly shows; as,
of the person of Christ; of his divine and eternal sonship; of his being the
eternal begotten Son of God, to whom this was first, at least, so clearly made
known, #Ps 2:7. From whence are taken all those expressions
in the New Testament, of Christ's being the only begotten Son, the only
begotten of the Father, his own and proper Son: phrases expressive of Christ's
co-essentiality, co eternity, and co-equality with his Father. David speaks of
the humanity of Christ, of a body being prepared for him in covenant, of the
formation of it in the womb of the virgin; of his being of his seed, and springing from him as man, as he did, #Ps 40:6 compared
with #Heb 10:5 Ps 139:15,16 132:11,17 Ac 13:23. He speaks very expressly of his
sufferings and death, in #Ps 22:1-31 uses the very words Christ uttered on the
cross; exactly describes the persons that surrounded him, and mocked at him
when on it, as well as the manner of his death, by crucifixion, signified by
his hands and feet being pierced; and also the dreadful
pains and agonies was then in, by which he was brought to the dust of death;
yea, some minute circumstances of his sufferings are observed, as casting lots
on his vesture, and parting his garments; and elsewhere, the giving him gall
and vinegar to drink, #Ps 69:21. He foretells his burial in the grave, which should
not be so long as to see corruption, and his resurrection to an immortal life,
#Ps 16:10,11 Ac 2:25-31. His ascension to heaven, #Ps 68:18
compared with #Eph 4:8-10. His session at the right hand of God, #Ps 110:1 Heb
1:13. He treats of his suretyship engagements, and of his offices, as Prophet,
Priest, and King, #Ps 40:6-9 110:4 2:6 89:27 72:8.
2.
Secondly, Solomon, the Son of David, and his successor in the kingdom, had not
only the covenant of royalty established with him, but the special covenant of
grace was made with him, or made known unto him; "I will be his Father,
and he shall be my Son", #2Sa 7:14. He was both a preacher and king of
Israel; and, no doubt, a good man, notwithstanding his fall; his prayer at the
dedication of the temple shows it; as well as his being the
amanuensis of the Holy Spirit, in various writings: an eminent type he was of
Christ, who is therefore called Solomon, #So 3:7,9,11 8:11,12 in his name,
which signifies peaceable, and agrees with Christ, the Prince of peace; in his
scent, the Son of David; in his wisdom, in which Christ is greater than
Solomon; in his wealth and riches; and in the peaceableness and extent of his kingdom. Much of Christ, and the blessings of grace through
him, were made known unto him. He writes of him under the name of Wisdom, as a
divine Person, the same with the Logos, the Word, and Son of God; of his
eternal existence; of the eternal generation of him; of his being brought
forth, and brought up as a Son with his Father from everlasting, as is declared
in the eighth of Proverbs; which when one reads, might be
tempted to think he was reading the first chapter of John, there being such a
similarity, yea, sameness of diction, sentiment, and doctrine. Solomon or Agur
speaks of Christ under the names of Ithiel and Ucal; the one signifies,
"God is with me"; as he always was with Christ, and Christ with him:
the other, "the mighty One", or, "I am able", I can do all
things; as he could, being the Almighty. He speaks in the
same place of the infinite, omnipresent, and omnipotent Being, whose name, that
is, his nature is incomprehensible and ineffable; and to whom he ascribes a
Son, as a divine, distinct Person from his Father; as of the same
incomprehensible and ineffable nature with him, and so co-essential,
co-eternal, and co-equal with him, #Pr 30:1,4. The book of Cantitles, written
by Solomon, is a rich display of the glories and
excellencies of Christ, of his great love to his church, and of the covenant
blessings of grace bestowed upon her. Pass we on now.
3. Thirdly, To the prophets
who lived in the succeeding reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah; as Isaiah,
Jeremiah, &c. who were holy men of God, and spake and wrote
as they were moved by the Holy Spirit; the Spirit of God was in them, and spoke
by them; and the sure word of prophecy they delivered, was as a light or lamp
in a dark place; the gospel day not as yet being broke, nor the shadows of the
ceremonial law fled, nor Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, yet up and risen.
These,
3a. Speak much
of the covenant of grace. Of it as a covenant of life and peace, in which
provision is made for the spiritual and eternal life of the covenant ones; and
in which the plan and model of their peace and reconciliation by Christ was
formed, #Mal 2:5 Isa 54:10. Of it as an everlasting one, which should continue
for ever, and never be altered, nor removed, #Isa 55:3 54:10. Of the persons
who engaged and entered into it, Jehovah and the branch,
that should build the temple of the Lord, between whom the council of peace
was; yea, Jehovah the Father, the Word of God, and his Spirit, who were each of
them concerned in the covenant of grace, #Zec 6:12,13 Hag 2:4,5. Of Christ, as
the sum and substance of it, said to be the covenant of the people, in whom are
all the blessings and promises of it, called the sure mercies
of David; and whose blood is said to be the blood of the covenant, by which it
is ratified and confirmed; and he is spoken of as the messenger of it, #Isa
42:6 49:8 55:3 Zec 9:11 #Mal 3:1. Mention is made by them of the persons on
whose account the covenant of grace was made, the elect of God, both Jews and
Gentiles, #Isa 49:5,6,8 yea, they speak of the new covenant, or of the
administration of it under the New Testament dispensation,
and give the several articles of it; which would be more clearly known, and
more powerfully have their effect, #Jer 31:31-34. Which may lead on to observe,
3b. That the prophets in this
period of time speak very plain of the blessings of the covenant
of grace, even more plainly and fully than heretofore. As of,
3b1. The
blessing of pardon of sin through Christ, which is a
blessing of
the covenant, #Heb 8:10,12. Not only Moses
relates, that
God appeared to him, and caused his goodness
to
pass before him, and proclaimed his name, a God gracious
and merciful,
pardoning iniquity, transgression, and sin;
and David
describes the blessedness of the man whose
iniquities
are forgiven, and instances in himself,
#Ex 34:6,7 Ps
32:1,2,5. But the apostle Peter observes, that
to
Christ "give all the prophets witness", that "through his
name
whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of
sins",
#Ac 10:43. They speak of it as belonging to God, and
him only,
even every act of it, and as flowing from his
mercy; on
which account there is none like unto him, #Da 9:9
#Mic
7:18 and of his being abundant in it, or abundantly
pardoning,
even all that apply to him for it; and all their
sins and
transgressions, thou ever so many and great,
#Isa 55:7
1:18 and of the freeness of pardon, as the effect
of the free
favour, love, grace, and mercy of God, which is
very
strongly expressed in #Isa 43:25 after so many
aggravated
sins of omission and commission are observed; and
yet they
speak of it as founded upon the sufferings of
Christ, and
redemption, reconciliation, atonement, and
satisfaction
procured thereby, #Zec 3:9 Isa 44:22 Da 9:24.
They
also describe the persons that share in this blessing,
even such
whom God has reserved for himself in election, and
in the
covenant of grace, and who are the remnant of his
heritage, his
portion, and the lot of his inheritance,
#Jer 50:20
Mic 7:18.
3b2. The
blessing of justification by the righteousness of
Christ; which
though a doctrine more clearly revealed under
the gospel
dispensation, yet is "witnessed by the law and
prophets",
#Ro 3:21,22. The prophets speak of the
righteousness
by which men are justified as an everlasting
righteousness,
that was then to be brought in by Christ, the
Surety and
Saviour of his people, #Da 9:24 and as
"well
pleasing to God", because by it the "law is
magnified",
all its demands answered, and it made
"honourable",
and more so than it could have been by the
most perfect
obedience of angels and men, #Isa 42:21. They
speak of
Christ as the author of it; and hence he is called
by them,
"The Lord our Righteousness"; and "the Sun of
Righteousness";
because righteousness is wrought out by him,
and
springs from him, as light from the sun, #Jer 23:6
#Mal 4:2.
They speak of Christ as the justifier of them
that know
him, and believe in him, #Isa 53:11. And of the
seed of
Israel being justified in him, and glorying of him,
as the Lord
their Righteousness, even all the elect of God,
both
Jews and Gentiles; and the church is represented by
them as
expressing her strong faith of interest in the
righteousness
of Christ, as her justifying one; "Surely
shall one
say, in the Lord have I righteousness and
strength",
#Isa 45:24,25. Under the emblem of Joshua, the
high
priest, accused of, and charged with sin and guilt, yet
acquitted by
Christ, the Angel of the Lord is represented an
elect sinner,
charged with sin by law and justice, by Satan
and his own
conscience; but cleared from all by the
application
and imputation of the righteousness of Christ,
to
him expressed by those strong terms, "causing his
iniquity to
pass from him, and clothing him with change of
raiment",
#Zec 3:1-4. The same with the garments of
salvation,
and robe of righteousness, the church declares
she was
clothed and covered with, and in which she rejoiced,
3b3. The
blessing of adoption is another covenant blessing, spoken
of by the
prophets; not national adoption, included in the
national
covenant made with the people of Israel; but
adoption
by special grace. The prophets speak of God's
putting some
among the children that were unlovely,
unworthy, and
deserving of his displeasure, and yet were the
objects of
his love and delight; his dear sons and pleasant
children, and
whom he owned in such a relation, #Jer 3:19
#Jer
31:20 of some that were given to Christ as his children,
and to whom
he stood in the relation of an everlasting Father,
#Isa 8:18 9:6
Heb 2:13. And though the saints under the
former dispensation
for the most part had not such a measure
of the Spirit
of adoption, as under the New Testament, yet
they
were then heirs, and so children; and some of them had
a strong
assurance of their interest in God, as their
Father;
"Doubtless, thou art our Father", #Isa 63:16. And
the prophets
also speak of a large number of adopted sons
and daughters
of God, as in the latter day, in each of the
parts
of the world, both among the Gentiles and among the
Jews, #Isa
43:6 45:11 Ho 1:10.
3b4. Salvation,
spiritual and eternal, in general, is the great
blessing of
the covenant of grace, #2Sa 23:5 and this the
prophets
enquired after, and diligently searched into and
spoke of; of
the author of it, declaring it was not in hills
and
mountains, nor to be expected from thence, but in the
Lord God
only; they affirm that Christ was appointed as
God's
salvation to the ends of the earth; that he would come
and
save, and as having salvation; they represent him as
mighty to
save, yea as if salvation was then already wrought
out by him,
#Jer 3:23 Isa 49:6 35:4 63:1,5 Zec 9:9. They
speak of the
nature of it as an everlasting salvation, and
describe the
persons interested in it as the Israel of God,
both
Jews and Gentiles; even such who are at the ends of the
earth, and
who are encouraged to look to Christ for
salvation,
#Isa 45:17,22 and they speak of the time when it
should be
wrought out, #Da 9:24 1Pe 1:10,11.
3c. There
are various things relating to Christ, his person, office and grace, which are copiously
and frequently spoken of by the prophets in this period of time; as his
incarnation, which though not till many hundred years after, is spoken of as if
then done, because of the certainty of it in the purpose and promise of God,
"to us a child is born", #Isa 9:6 his birth of a virgin, with the
name given him, Immanuel, God with us; and which is
represented as wonderful, new and unheard of, as it justly might, #Isa 7:14 Mt
1:23 Jer 31:22 Da 2:45. The place of his birth, Bethlehem Ephratah, #Mic 5:2 Mt
2:4-6 Joh 7:41,42. Some things following his birth, as the murder of the
infants about Bethlehem; his being carried to Egypt, and called again from
thence, and residing in Nazareth, #Jer 31:15 Ho 11:1 #Mt 2:13-23. The parts where he
should chiefly live, converse, and minister, #Isa 9:1 Mt 4:13,14. His state of
humiliation, sufferings, and death, which are particularly described in #Isa
53:1-12. The circumstances of his being sold for thirty pieces of silver by one
of his disciples, forsaken by them all, and his side pierced with a spear, #Zec
11:12,13 13:7 12:10 #Mt 27:3-10 26:31 Joh 19:34-37. The prophets also speak of
the time of his coming and of his sufferings: Daniel fixes
the exact time of them, from a date given; and Haggai and Malachi declare he
should come into the second temple, and give it a greater glory than the
former; so that he must come and suffer as he did, before the destruction of
that, #Da 9:24,26 Hag 2:7,9 Mal 3:1. And the same prophets, with Zechariah, who
were the last of the prophets, speak of his near approach, that he was just at hand, and would soon, Suddenly, and at unawares,
come into his temple; and of his forerunner, #Zec 3:8 6:12 9:9 Hag 2:6 Mal 3:1
4:5 but though the prophets mentioned were the last of the inspired writers,
prophecy did not wholly cease with them; as appears by the instances of
Zechariah the father of John the Baptist, who prophesied of him, and of the
Messiah; and good old Simeon, to whom it was revealed by
the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's
Christ; and Anna the prophetess, who spoke of him to those that looked for
redemption in Jerusalem, #Lu 1:67 2:25,26,36,38. So true it is what our Lord
says, that "the law and the prophets were until John"; which finishes
the Old Testament dispensation, and the first and old administration of the
covenant of grace; after which the kingdom of God, or
gospel of Christ, was preached more clearly and fully, and God spake no more by
the prophets, but by his Son, #Lu 16:16 Heb 1:1,2 when the second and new
covenant, or administration of it, took place; of which we shall treat in the
next chapter. And from what has been observed it appears, that the former
administration of the covenant of grace, reaching from the fall
of Adam to the coming of Christ, was by types and figures, by shadows and
sacrifices, and by promises and prophecies of future things, which are now
fulfilled; Christ, the sum and substance of all, being come, the great blessing
of the covenant of grace, and in whom all are included.