Saturday Scripture Gold with Bibi: A Solemn Agreement With God

Eternal covenant, Hebrews 13:20 : The redemptive covenant before time began, between the Father and the Son. By this covenant we have eternal redemption, an eternal peace from the 'God of peace', through the death and resurrection of the Son.

Did you know that the word "covenant" occurs 319 times in the New King James Bible? If we break the word "covenant" down to its most basic form, it is an agreement formed between two parties. This agreement also involves promises on the part of each to one another. If you are familiar with the Bible, than you know that the idea of a covenant between a holy God and His people is one of the central themes throughout.

Hello, and welcome to Saturday Scripture Gold! When you think of the word covenant, what comes to mind? Do you think of some type of obligation, agreement, or bond that is in effect for a specific length of time? Let's face it, it can be pretty confusing!

If we look at it from a biblical sense, a covenant implies much more than a contract, or simple agreement, between two parties. As an example, Erdman's Dictionary of the Bible defines "convenant" like this: A convenant is "a solemn agreement between two or more parties, made binding by some sort of oath." It is also a fact that most contracts have an end date, but a covenant is thought of as a permanent arrangement. Another glaring difference is that a contract generally involves only one part of a person, such as a skill, while a covenant involves the person's total being!

Let's talk about how the word "covenant" is used in the Old Testament. Looking into the meaning of this important idea, we can turn to this definition by the Holman Illustrated Bible: "The technical language used when covenants were made was 'to cut a covenant' (karat berit). This terminology referred to ritual sacrifices that accompanied civenant making.

Often animals sacrificed would be cut in two. In some covenant rituals part of the animal would be eaten by the covenanting parties and part burned in honor of their god. Sometimes the parties would walk symbolically between the pieces of the animal. In any case, the shedding of blood in such rituals signified the solemnity of the covenant, each party vowing not to break the covenant on pain and death."

This explains the strange custom of two people passing through the cut bodies of slain animals after making an agreement (Jeremiah 34:18-20). Some ancient Hittite and Assyrian texts describe ceremonies where people would walk between severed halves of animals as they made covenants. This also served as a graphic reminder of what would happen if the parties failed to keep their part of the covenant. A ritual or ceremony like this always accompanied the making of a covenant in the Old Testament.

Sometimes those entering into a covenant shared a holy meal, just like Laban and Jacob did when they made their covenant (Genesis 31:54). Abraham and his male descendants were commanded to be circumcised as a "sign of covenant" between them and God (Genesis 17:10-11). And don't forget that Moses sprinkled the blood of animals on the altar and upon the people who entered into covenant with God at Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:3-8).

In closing our message this week, the Old Testament contains many examples of covenants between people who related to each other as equals. I direct you to the covenants between:

1. Abraham and Abimelech (Genesis 21:27, 32)
2. Issac and Abimelech (Genesis 26:26-31)
3. Jacob and Laban (Genesis 31:43-54)
4. David and Jonathan (1 Samuel 18:3)
5. David and Abner (2 Samuel 3:12-13)
6. David and the elders of Israel (2 Samuel 5:3)
7. Solomon and King Hiram of Tyre (1 Kings 5:12)
8. King Asa of Judah, his people, and God (2 Chronicles 15:9-15)
Even marriage is understood to be a covenant (Malachi 2:14)!

The remarkable thing about God's covenant with His people is that God is holy, all-knowing, and all powerful; but he put aside his superiority to enter into a covenant with weak and sinful men!

Prayer:

Lord, be Thou my constant Guide,
Lead me all the way,
Till I reach Thy home at last,
Nevermore to stray. Amen

Have a blessed week!

Bibi