Recently I heard someone, a theologian who has written a book or two, state that the Hebrew term “olam” often translated “eternal” or “everlasting” doesn’t actually mean that. He said the word has more the idea that something is “substantial” rather than lasting a long time. I might have ignored this but it just so happened he said these things as part of his attempt to support a “replacement theology” view that God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that were said to be “eternal” and “everlasting” were not meant to be “eternal” or “everlasting.”
Now I don’t mind saying, that this kind of thing
irritate me a lot. RT has many faults in
interpretation of Scripture, but the bottom line is that they tell me that God
is not going to keep specific promises He made in the Bible. They are, contrary to Rom. 11:29, trying to
say that the gifts and calling of God are, in fact, revocable, when Paul
says they are irrevocable. The
context, of course, for Rom. 11 is totally about the place of Israel in God’s
future plans.
The result is, that in my reading, every time
I come across that word (438 times in the OT!) I stop and check the passage to
see if the context has to do with “time” or with “substantial.”
In today’s Genesis reading it appears in 17:7,8,13. Clearly the context has to do with time. In v7,9, etc. God speaks of “generations,”
the primary way the OT talks about the passing of long periods of time (not so
much “years” as “generations.” In v7,8, etc.
another word is “descendants,” which again has an essential time element
to it. God’s promise to Abraham is for a
long time, an “everlasting” time.
And while we are in Genesis, the first use of “olam”
is in 3:22. God had to get Adam and Eve
out of the Garden lest they eat of the tree of life and live in their sin for a
long time, “forever.”
Then look at Psalm 131:3: O Israel, hope in
the LORD, from this time forth and “in substantial ways.” That does not fit the context. He is saying God will help now (from this
time) and forever. And without question,
that is God’s promise to Israel, as it is to us. It will always, forever, be a smart thing to
hope in the LORD because He is the eternal God.
God has many glories reserved for the
Church. It will be a glorious day with
the sons of God are revealed. But don’t
be foolish and think that God will “redefine” the words so as to deny His
promises to Israel or to anyone! His
gifts and calling are irrevocable!!!
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