Moses used figuratively and metaphorically language explaining how God created Israel.

Moses used figuratively and metaphorically language explaining how God created Israel.

Isaiah. 51:15,16 “But I am the Lord thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The Lord of hosts is his name. And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, (Thou art my people).” (emphasizes, added)

God was speaking of the time when He created Israel’s heavens and earth. The material creation existed long before Yahweh spoke these words. Not only did God make them His own, people in addition, He created for them a world of their own; and covenant called “heavens and earth. Any Israelite who were remotely familiar with the law were well aware of the fact that heaven and earth was synonymous with the law or the Old Covenant.

Moses is using metaphorical language when emphasizing rulers of Israel as the heavens and the people as the earth.

In Deuteronomy 32:1, Moses said, “Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak; And let the earth hear the words of my mouth.” Moses was not speaking to the literal heavens and rocks on earth he was speaking to the people of Israel. In figurative language, the "heavens and earth here are simply the covenant, religious and political authorities in the land of Palestine and the people who lived there.

In Deuteronomy 30:19 Moses said I call heaven and earth to RECORD this day AGAINST you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: (Deuteronomy 30:19) Moses was not called the literal heaven and rocks against Israel but a covenant. If they obeyed the covenant they had life.

Through the law, all of their transgressions were recorded against them. Deuteronomy 31:26-28 Take this book of the LAW, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that IT (the law) may be there for a WITNESS AGAINST thee. For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death? Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call HEAVEN AND EARTH to RECORD AGAINST them.

What was records against them? Certainly not the physical heavens and earth, but rather the law: Deuteronomy 31:26 Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a WITNESS AGAINST thee.

In the above passage it evident that the witness against them is the two tables of stone which is in the ark of the covenant.

Other prophets spoke the same way (e.g. Isaiah 1:2: Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth’...”) This applied to Israel as mentioned in verses 3. The heavens well portrays that which was once “over them” and is government of those in authority. “Earth” was used in a reference to the authority on earth, the leaders or authority, government, of Israel.

The prophet Isaiah predicted the passing of heaven and earth in chapter 24. He said the earth would be utterly broken down, clean dissolved, and completely removed, vs. 19. Now this sounds like the destruction of material creation but closer examination reveals it to be speaking of the destruction of Israel's Covenant World under the imagery of "heaven and earth". Note verse 5 gives the reason for the destruction--"they have broken the everlasting covenant". What covenant was that? It was the Mosaic Covenant! God was going to destroy "heaven and earth" because Israel had broken her covenant with Jehovah! Thus, we have another example of the Bible speaking of the passing of heaven and earth when it means the passing of the Old World of Israel. This is very same covenant Peter spoke of in (Peter 3:12-13).

Hebrews is another text that speaks of the passing of the Old Covenant world under the imagery of “Vanishing away.” Hebrews 8:13 In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Isaiah compares the temporal quality of the law versus the eternal quality of the New Covenant salvation. Those who dwelle in the old heavens and earth will die in like manner. My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, And My arms will judge the peoples; The coastlands will wait upon Me, And on My arm they will trust. {6} Lift up your eyes to the heavens, And look on the earth beneath. For the (heavens will vanish away) like smoke, The (earth will grow old like a garment), And those who dwell in it will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not be abolished. (Isaiah 51:4-5)

notice the future tense in this old testament prophecy. The heavens WILL vanish away like smoke. The earth WILL grow old like a garment. Of course if you were a Israelite this should bring to mind Hebrews 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

Notice the use of the present tense to describe what was taking place at this time. . The language the writer of Hebrews uses is synonymous to Isaiah 51:4-5. We see Isaiah used the language in a (future tense) and the writer of Hebrews used the language in a (present tense) and waxing old (present tense).

This kind of language was used over and over. Any person at all familiar with the phraseology of the Old Testament Scriptures, knows that the dissolution of the Mosaic economy, and the establishment of the Christian, is often spoken of as the removing of the old earth and heavens, and the creation of a new earth and new heavens.