WE will now continue our study of the Sarah, or Grace Covenant, by a consideration of its type:
Type of the Sarah Covenant
The type of this covenant is Sarah. We read of this in Galatians 4: 21-31 with bracketed comments: “Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh [the fleshly minds of Abraham and Sarah were responsible for the birth of Ishmael, the son of Hagar]; but he of the freewoman was by promise [the freewoman was Sarah, through whom the promised seed was to come]. Which things are an allegory [a type]: for these are [represent] the two covenants [the Grace Covenant is represented by Sarah, and the Law Covenant by Hagar]; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is [represents] mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is [to the Jews as they were gathered together as a kingdom under the scribes, Pharisees and the Jewish Sanhedrin that reigned at that time], and [this woman] is in bondage with her children [Fleshly Israel was in bondage; and so was the mother of that people, the Law Covenant]. But Jerusalem [spiritual Zion] which is above [the higher Jerusalem] is free, which is the mother of us all [the Sarah Covenant is the mother of the Christ]. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband [the Law Covenant had many more children than the Sarah Covenant, which had God as its husband]. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise [Isaac was the typical seed and represented Christ, Head and Body; Isaac being offered up by Abraham as a sacrifice, about to be killed, represents Christ, Head and Body; first, the Head laid upon the altar, and second, the Body laid upon the altar, joined to the Head]. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now [the Jews during the Jewish Harvest persecuted the children of promise; and that continued more or less throughout the Gospel Age]. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman [God would not allow Fleshly Israel to inherit with antitypical Sarah]. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman [we are not under the Law Covenant, and the added curse that came upon them through their failure to obey].
Our next passage is Romans 9: 7-9: “Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of promise are counted for the seed [the children of promise are, first Jesus, the Head, then, the Church, His Body]. For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.” This shows that God would see to it that the seed of promise would come: Jesus, the Head, first, then the Church, His Body.
Acts 3: 25 is another passage to the point: “Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.” St. Peter is here addressing Israelites, who, during the Jewish Harvest, were won for the Little Flock. He tells them that they are the children of the prophets and of the covenant that God had made with their fathers: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Since the seed was of Sarah, and since the seed are here called the children of the covenant which God made with Abraham, etc., Sarah must have typed the Grace Features of the Abrahamic Covenant.
Sign of the Sarah Covenant
The sign of the Sarah Covenant is given in Genesis 17: 9-14 with bracketed comments: “And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations [those that would be of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and the Prophets; all of Fleshly Israel during the Jewish Age, the Gospel Age and even in the Millennium, at its end, should keep this covenant in their flesh]. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token [a symbol] of the covenant betwixt me and you [it was to be a symbol of the covenant between God and Abraham]. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you [those that were eight days old represent those who are justified and by God counted as living in the eighth one-thousand-year day and therefore candidates for antitypical circumcision, consecration], every man child in your generations [everyone of them in their generation was to undergo this circumcision in the flesh], he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger [the precious merit of the Lord Jesus Christ being the antitypical money that purchased the stranger], which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised [Not only were Isaac and Ishmael circumcised, but also Abraham’s entire male household, whether born in his service, or bought as strangers. Isaac types Spiritual Israel and Ishmael Fleshly Israel (Galatians 4: 22-31). That part of Abraham’s household which was born in his house seems to type the Ancient Worthies, the Great Company and the Youthful Worthies; while those of his household who were bought with money as strangers seem to type the Restitution class. Hence the antitypes of these in the Gospel and Millennial Ages should undergo the antitype of physical circumcision – water baptism, by which they symbolize their consecration]: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant [for an ages-lasting sign]. And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.”
Reward of the Sarah Covenant
We will finally consider the reward of the Sarah Covenant. The nature of the reward is found in Genesis 22: 17: “That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.” God promised to Abraham, with reference to the real seed, that He would bless him and make him a blessing (all of God’s blessings will be brought about through and by the seed), and in multiplying him, He would multiply his seed as the stars of the heaven – would make them spiritual. “And thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.” Whoever is attacking a city first gets control of the gate of the city, then conquers and takes that city. The seed’s enemies are Satan, the world, the flesh, sin, error, and the condemnation that came upon them by heredity from Adam; and for those who were Jews, the added condemnation that came upon them through the Mosaic Covenant. This seed will conquer the devil, the world, the flesh, the Satan system, the two Antichrist systems and the civil powers’ every effort to destroy their faith in the promises.
Another passage is 2 Peter 1: 4: “Whereby [by the Gospel] are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” God gave the seed the promise of the Divine nature with its glory, honor and immortality, so that they could become partakers of the Divine nature, having overcome the corruption in the world.
Another aspect of the seed’s reward is the work that the seed will have. This is given in Genesis 22: 18: “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” The Christ, Head and Body, shall bless all the families and nations and kindreds of the earth. Just as Abraham obeyed the voice of God speaking to him, likewise, the antitypical seed of Abraham has obeyed the voice of God.