Covenant Commitment

This week, we have talked about covenant being a place where two or more parties get on the same page.  It is an agreement between those parties.  Over time, it develops the basis for a relationship between those parties.  Living by that covenant agreement takes commitment.

Have the people make an Ark of acacia wood…When the Ark is finished, place inside it the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you…I will meet with you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant. From there I will give you My commands for the people of Israel.  (Exodus 25:10-22 NLT)

The Ark of the Covenant was built by the people of Israel to hold the “terms of the covenant” that was agreed to between God and Israel.  What were those terms?  We call them the Ten Commandments.

I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god but Me.

You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected--even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject Me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love Me and obey My commands.

You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse His name.

Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day He rested. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

You must not murder.

You must not commit adultery.

You must not steal.

You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.

You must not covet your neighbor's house. You must not covet your neighbor's wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor."

When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram's horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear. And they said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen. But don't let God speak directly to us, or we will die!" "Don't be afraid," Moses answered them, "for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of Him will keep you from sinning!" (Exodus 20:1-20 NLT)

How about you?  Have you ever thought of the ten commandments as a covenant agreement that takes commitment and builds your relationship with God?

Covenant Relationship

Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The LORD called to him from the mountain and said, "Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel: 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now if you will obey Me and keep My covenant, you will be My own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to Me. And you will be My kingdom of priests, My holy nation.' This is the message you must give to the people of Israel." So Moses returned from the mountain and called together the elders of the people and told them everything the LORD had commanded him. And all the people responded together, "We will do everything the LORD has commanded." So Moses brought the people's answer back to the LORD. (Exodus 19:3-8 NLT)

Covenants are about two or more individuals coming together.  They get on the “same page” with each other.  This is why we often call it a “covenant agreement.”  The term, as it states, indicates that the two are in agreement on the terms of the covenant.  The LORD and Israel came to terms on a covenant agreement.  Moses was the intermediary who communicated the agreement from God to the people.  The covenant, though, was more than just an agreement.  That’s because getting on the same page with God builds relationship.

When Moses came down Mount Sinai carrying the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn't aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the LORD. So when Aaron and the people of Israel saw the radiance of Moses' face, they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called out to them and asked Aaron and all the leaders of the community to come over, and he talked with them. Then all the people of Israel approached him, and Moses gave them all the instructions the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai. When Moses finished speaking with them, he covered his face with a veil. But whenever he went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with the LORD, he would remove the veil until he came out again. Then he would give the people whatever instructions the LORD had given him, and the people of Israel would see the radiant glow of his face. So he would put the veil over his face until he returned to speak with the LORD. (Exodus 34:29-35 NLT)

Moses had a close covenant-relationship with God.  How about you?  Are you on the same page with God?  Does being on the same-page with God also build your relationship with God?

Covenant Agreement

Then God told Noah and his sons, "I hereby confirm My covenant with you and your descendants, and with all the animals that were on the boat with you--the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals--every living creature on earth. Yes, I am confirming My covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth." Then God said, "I am giving you a sign of My covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed My rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of My covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember My covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth." Then God said to Noah, "Yes, this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the creatures on earth." (Genesis 9:8-17 NLT)

I love the word covenant.  It reminds me of the type of relationship we are in with God.  Often times, when the storms clear up (like today) and I see a rainbow in the sky (not today, but I’m still looking) I like to remember God’s promise: never again will I flood the whole earth.  This rainbow is a reminder to both God and us.  Look at how God describes it.  The rainbow is  “the sign of My covenant.”  Sign of the covenant?  What covenant?  I thought this was just a one-sided promise from God to us!?!  No, it is not.  It is a covenant agreement between God and us.  It is a place were we come together with God.  It is a place where we end up on the same page.  What is our part of the covenant?  Well, just back up a bit in the same chapter to see.

Then God blessed Noah and his sons and told them, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth. All the animals of the earth, all the birds of the sky, all the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the fish in the sea will look on you with fear and terror. I have placed them in your power. I have given them to you for food, just as I have given you grain and vegetables. But you must never eat any meat that still has the lifeblood in it. "And I will require the blood of anyone who takes another person's life. If a wild animal kills a person, it must die. And anyone who murders a fellow human must die. If anyone takes a human life, that person's life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in His own image. Now be fruitful and multiply, and repopulate the earth." (Genesis 9:1-7 NLT)

What is our part?  Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and have dominion over the animals.  Other than changing our diet from vegetarian to include hamburgers, what’s the big deal?  The big deal is this: stop killing people.  Cain did it. Cain was punished.  Cain’s descendants were doing it.  They were so bad that God had to wipe them out with a flood.  We need to stop killing one another.  Then God will hold back from wiping us out with a flood.

Remember Covenant

The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and He saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the LORD was sorry He had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke His heart. And the LORD said, "I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing--all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them." But Noah found favor with the LORD. (Genesis 6:5-8 NLT)

I know we’ve already covered this story as we have been working through the first five books of the Bible.  We’re coming back to it, though, because it is the first time we see a certain concept being introduced into the Scriptures.

Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. So God said to Noah, "I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth! (Genesis 6:11-13 NLT)

The corruption and violence was extensive.  “Everyone on earth was corrupt,” it says.  Beyond that, “everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.”  This was the reason God chose to wipe out all of humanity…except Noah.

"Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. But I will confirm My covenant with you. (Genesis 6:17-18a NLT)

Covenant is an interesting word.  It holds many layers to its meaning.  At its most basic level, a covenant is a place where at least two individuals come together to the same place.  For Noah, his family, and the animals, that same place with God was the ark.

So enter the boat--you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring a pair of every kind of animal--a male and a female--into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals." So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him. (Genesis 6:18b-22 NLT)

Do you find yourself hiding from, fighting against, or doing things that God would consider evil?  Do you end up in the same place with God?  Do you come together with God in covenant?