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When Israel came out of Egypt many marvelous plagues attended their deliverance;
but the Lord says here that He will, in the working out of this covenant, "do marvels",
and that it will be a "terrible thing" that He will do with Israel. Moreover these marvels
will be such as have not been seen in all the earth, nor in any nation. There are hints of
this scattered throughout the history of Israel. A very definite statement is found in
Micah 7: 15-17:--
"According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I show unto him
marvelous things. The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall
lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf. They shall lick the dust like a
serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of
the Lord our God, and shall fear because of thee."
It is evident, when we survey the teaching of Scripture, that these unprecedented
marvels are not described in their full import until we reach the book of the Revelation.
When we compare the opening of the Revelation with the original covenant of Sinai, we
perceive the change that is brought about by the changed covenant:--
"Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles wings,
and brought you unto Myself. Now, therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed and keep
My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the
earth is mine; and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation" (Exod.
19: 4-6).
This is the original covenant, and upon hearing its term Israel said, "All that the Lord
hath spoken we will do" (Exod. 19: 8). Alas, the flesh cannot fulfil such promises. But
a few weeks pass and Israel break the covenant and are threatened with extinction.
Though the people will never become a kingdom of priests on the terms of their own
law-keeping, the words of Rev. 1: indicate that by the grace of God, and through the
redemption of Christ, they will ultimately attain to this glorious position:--
"Unto Him that loveth us and loosed us from our sins by His own blood, and hath
made us kings and priests unto God and His Father, to Him be glory and dominion for
ever and ever, Amen" (Rev. 1: 5, 6).
The covenant of marvels is fulfilled by the Lord in this book of the Revelation. The
vials of His wrath are poured out upon the earth and, sun, moon and stars share in the
judgment. Micah 7: tells us that the nations shall come out of their holes like worms.
Revelation tells us that they shall hide themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the
mountains (Rev. 6: 15).
What Israel failed to attain by law, they shall reach through redeeming love: and this
re-stated covenant of Exod. 34: follows the wonderful exhibition of divine
forbearance and forgiving grace revealed at the intercession of Moses.
Following the new terms of the covenant of marvels is a repetition of one or two
commandments that arise out of it.