(1)
Unconditional covenant.
Deep sleep (12).
(2)
Interval of bondage.
They shall serve them (13).
(3)
Covenant fulfilled.
They shall come hither again (16).
So, Ephesians 1:3-14 exhibits
a similar movement:
(1)
Unconditional will.
Chosen, predestinated (4 and 5).
(2)
Interval of bondage.
Redemption, release (7).
(3)
Will accomplished.
Inheritance sealed (11-14).
The Threefold Charter of the Church
The Work of the Son (Eph. 1:7-11)
The Inheritance
The Authorized Version renders Ephesians 1:11 `In Whom also we have
obtained an inheritance', where the Revised Version reads: `In Whom also we were
made a heritage'. There is a considerable difference between the idea of
`obtaining' an inheritance, and of `being made' an inheritance. In the one, the
inheritance becomes ours, in the other, we ourselves become an inheritance.
Cunnington translates the verse `in Whom also we were made God's portion'.
Rotherham reads `we were taken as an inheritance' and Moffatt `we have had our
heritage allotted us'. The Authorized Version and Moffatt point in one
direction, the others point in the opposite direction, and in addition we have
such changes as inheritance to portion, and to something allotted.
The word inheritance, kleronomia, is composed of kleros, a lot, and nemo
to administer. Kleros is derived from klao to break (Matt. 26:26), and so came
to mean a small stone, piece of wood, or earth, that was thrown into a vessel,
or which was shaken out of the vessel in the casting of lots.
The casting of lots during the Old Testament times and at the beginning of
the New, was the Divinely appointed means of discovering the Lord's will. Two
Hebrew words are employed in the Old Testament, namely goral, which occurs
seventy-seven times and is always translated `lot', and chebel, which occurs
sixty times, and is translated `lot' thrice, a figurative use of the word which
primarily meant `a cord, a line, a rope', and then `a coast, a country, a
portion or a region so measured off'. In the New Testament we have kleros
occurring thirteen times, being translated `lots', or `lot' eight times,
`inheritance' twice, `heritage' once, and `part' twice. Here again, the pebble,
by a figure of speech, becomes the portion which the falling of the pebble
indicated. Lagchano occurs four times, twice it is translated `obtained', once
`be one's lot', and once `cast lots'. From Esther 3:7 and 9:24 we learn that
the Persians also used the lot which they called `Pur', and apparently continued
casting the lot from day to day until they discovered the day propitious to
their desire, which turned out to be the 13th of the 12th month, Adar.
The first use of the lot, according to the Scriptures, was for
ascertaining which of the two goats on the Day of Atonement was for the Lord,
and which for the scapegoat (Lev. 16:8,9,10). The seven occurrences in Numbers
and the twenty-six in Joshua relate to the apportionment of the land of Canaan
among the twelve tribes. We find the lot used in apportioning special service
in Nehemiah 10:34 and 11:1, and after that, the casting of lots is used in the
Psalms, Proverbs and the Prophets in secondary and figurative senses. One
passage from the Psalms calls for attention:
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