OUR COVENANT GOD

OUR COVENANT GOD - AUDIO 

Covenant was above all to give man a hold upon God as the Covenant-keeping God, to link him to God Himself in expectation and hope, to bring him to make God Himself Alone the portion and the strength of His soul.

Andrew Murray

We serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, which by His Name alone, by association, says that He esteems covenant very highly.  He is our covenant keeping God.  We also know that the Bible is divided into an Old and New Testament, meaning Old and New Covenant.  The whole of the Word of God is about covenant.  Starting with a covenant and ending with a covenant.  Even our rights to stand in the courts of heaven is based on covenant.  Whatever God does for us, is based on covenant. 

And the enemy also has a keen interest in covenant, because he knows that life is in the blood and that there is strength in covenant, both by its blessing and curses, as we see that the world is offered to his willing slaves, at the cost of their souls.  The whole of the matrix is based on covenant as well.

In the ancient times a ceremony took place where various exchanges were made in such a covenant and today it is still the case.   This covenant is always binding and comes with its pros and cons.    The following gives us an indication of just how serious covenant is.

They would exchange robes or coats, which for us would resemble taking off sin and putting on Christ.  We are clothed with Christ, with His rigtheousness, where He took our robe of sin upon Himself. 

They would then exchange girdles.  These girdles represent strength, to which the armor were attached to.  Also remember that when we put on the Armour of God, we are in fact putting on Christ and therefore walking in Christ, so that others do not see us, but Christ.

They would exchange weapons, their swords and bows, declaring to one another, “My enemies become your enemies, and your enemies become mine.”  Both parties are now obligated to defend each other at all costs.  This also denotes the authority we have been given, as only the kings and their sons had swords and daggers made of iron at that time.  Jesus has given us the Sword of the Spirit, as the Father's sons and daughters.

They would exchange names, taking upon themselves the other person's name, which by association would mean that they are one.  Abram became Abraham, Sarai became Sarah, and Jacob became Israel.  They took the Lord’s Name, but He also took their names, becoming the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 

An animal would be sacrificed and would be cut in two pieces.  With the case of Abraham amongst other animals, a heifer was cut in half and the Lord walked in the middle of the two pieces.  He formed the number 8 as He walked.  This is called the walk of death.  This is why in covenant we receive a new life, from out of death.  The number 8 means covenant because the number 8 is an infinity number.

At this point the two become blood brothers as they both point to these two pieces and say, “you do this to me and more if I break this covenant.”

They then speak blessings over each other, over their goods, households, and descendants saying “What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is yours.”

After that they proceed to speak curses over each other, over their households, goods and descendants.

"According to the ancient Eastern manner of cutting a covenant, both covenanting parties passed through the divided pieces of the slain animal. This ritual was a symbolic picture of the fate that would befall them if they broke the covenant. In other words, by performing the covenant ritual, the two parties were in essence pledging their very lives to the fulfillment of the engagement they made. Covenant is serious business in Scripture!" (Precepts Austin.org)

Lastly they broke bread together and had a covenant meal by drinking from the same cup.  We are reminded then in this of our covenant that we have with the Lord every time we take communion.

They broke the bread and then fed each other with the bread.  By implication saying that as this bread becomes one with you, so I am now one with you.  This is why Jesus said that unless we eat His flesh and drink His blood we can have no part in Him, which basically means you cannot be one with Me unless you enter into covenant with Me. This is why Paul talks about being "in Christ" which speaks of our unity in covenant with Christ.

From that time on they are known as friends.  This is also why we read that there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.  Indeed such a friend is in covenant with him, whereas the brother is not.  The obligation much greater when in covenant that even exceeds family. This is also why Jesus called His disciples friends and no longer servants, as He was breaking bread and presenting the cup of covenant to them.  Also why He said that no one has greater love than he who lays his life down for his friends.  He was talking covenant and they knew exactly what He meant.    

But do we?

At the heart of covenant is the promise of, “I will be your God and you will be My people.”  If we see God outside of covenant, we don’t see God.  It is through covenant that He meets with us and shows Himself to us.  Covenant is relationship as you can see from the above interaction and agreement.  It is not a little scribble on paper and a signature on the dotted line…it is paid with blood.  Covenant is kept on the basis of a very close relationship.  Not as an obligation, but out of love where both parties keep covenant out of faithfulness to one another.  God's lovingkindness (a word used in relation to covenant) denotes persistent and unconditional tenderness, kindness, and mercy, a relationship in which He seeks after man with love and mercy. God created us for relationship with Him and predestined us to stand in covenant with Him.  Covenant was initiated by Him.  He sent His Son as the Mediator of this covenant and the bearer of the curse of this covenant as well.  He was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, which tells us that God knew that we would break our covenant with Him.

The Church is a covenantal entity and people.  We function and execute our redemptive rights on the basis of covenant.  Our life, for His life, our possessions for His, all of us for all of Him.  Giving our hearts to Him is a covenental exchange.  This is why Jesus prayed the covenant prayer as the High Priest in John 17, because as High Priest, He was also the sacrifice.  He prayed specifically to the Father that we would be one with Him and the Father, just as He and the Father are one.  All of this is covenant. 

The terms of this covenant is based on the Ten Commandments that Moses received on Mount Sinai.  As we know, the Jews have been trying to fulfill these commandments, adding even more to it and have hopelessly failed.   So have we.  Jesus came to establish a new and better covenant.  Someone asked Jesus which one of the Ten Commandments was the most important.  To which He replied that through Him and through grace a new and better covenant has come, which is the whole of the law.  We know them well.  Thou shalt love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength, the second as the first, which is to love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. These two commandments summed up all Ten Commandments.  However, in Matthew 5 He ensures them that He has come to fulfil the law and issues a stern warning to those who teach others that they are allowed to break these commandments.

Matthew 5: 17 - 20

¹⁷ Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

¹⁸ For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

¹⁹ Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

²⁰ For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

The righteousness that must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, is the righteousness that comes through faith and love.  Remember, the commandments is the agreement of the covenant.

When you throw away the Ten Commandments of the old, you throw away the two of the New.  When you throw away the Two Commandments of the New Covenant, you throw away the ten of the Old Covenant.  It is clear from the book of Hebrews that the New has replaced the Old as the more glorious better covenant, but not in the context to do away with the Ten Commandments, but by which they will be fulfilled.  He still has every intention that we fulfill the Ten Commandments, but on the basis of the new commandments, which speaks of a love relationship, the righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees.   2 Corinthians 3 tells us that this previous covenant of Moses was glorious, but the New Covenant even more glorious and far exceeds it.  The reason for this, is that under the Old Covenant the people were not able to fulfill its requirements, because it was not done by faith.  This is why the Word says that the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.  The reason why the New Covenant is better, is because of the Spirit of God now living in us, with the LAW OF LOVE written no longer on stone but on the tablets of our hearts, making us able to fulfill the law, by the grace given through faith.  This is why we are no longer under the law, but under grace.  Because under the law, which is the letter, we cannot fulfill the law, but under grace we can.  The New Covenant does not exempt us from the old, but enables to fulfill it.  We know that we are no longer under the law of rules and regulations, but the moral law of God will never fall away.  Remember, we are talking covenant here.  Keep in mind that this is not about rules, but about covenant relationship.  Through Jesus, He has made a way for us to fulfill the law, by walking as He walked, which is by faith.

The covenant He made with us was at the cross.  The cross is central to the covenant, because there He bore the curse meant for us who have broken the covenant.   So even before we knew Him, He already laid down His life for us.  The word says that whilst we were sinners He died for us.  This covenant is only valid on the basis of us entering into it.  Because He died for the whole world, but not all have come into agreement with the covenant He made through His death on the cross.  Once we give our lives to Him and are reborn, then only is the covenant in affect, because then a life is given for a life.  And He takes it very seriously.  He will never break His covenant with us, which means not only will He be faithful to the promises and blessings that comes with this covenant, but also faithful to the curses of when the covenant is broken.  In the same way that He promise to keep us, and protect and provide for us when we keep covenant, in the same way He promise to remove protection and provision.  This is covenant.  However, by our disobedience, we in fact open the door for the enemy by breaking covenant. Please note that I am talking about deliberate and wilfull sin and not those who are trying to walk in holiness and find themselves sinning.  The one seeks God, the other rejects God, even whilst still in covenant.

In 1 Samuel we find the account of Saul, Jonathan and David.  Saul, in this case, is a type and shadow of the flesh.  Jonathan is a type and shadow of the soul, meaning our will. And David is a type and shadow of the Spirit, even though we know he also resembles Yeshua.  As you all know, Saul was very jealous and envious towards David, whose life was in constant danger because of this.  In Romans 8 we read that the flesh is in enmity with the Spirit.  The flesh is not in covenant with God, but the soul is.  There where your will resides.  The will is constantly in the middle of these two realities, between the flesh and the Spirit, just like Jonathan stood between Saul and David.  The soul has to constantly choose between keeping and breaking covenant. 

We read about this covenant that Jonathan and David made.

1 Samuel 18: 1 - 4

And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

² And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house.

³ Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.

⁴ And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.

What is interesting to me is that the name Jonathan is the same name which John is derived from, and John was known as the disciples that Jesus loved.  This is why we hear John speak so much about love in His epistles and also why Jesus' High Priestly prayer is only found in the book of John.  Love is covenant.  In 1 Samuel 20: 13 – 15 we read how Jonathan also reminds David of their covenant to not cut off his kindness from his house forever, even if Saul, Jonathan’s father, intends to kill David.  

Father knew that we would not be able to keep covenant.  That we would break it no matter how hard we tried.  It is only through Christ that we are made more than conquerors, not by any means of our own.  And often those means are even religious in nature, but they are still a dependence on self.  It is truly a very thin line between the two.  By our covenant with Him, He has promised that our enemy is His enemy and that He will provide us all we need in every temptation and trial.  Together we run this race with Him and in Him, by faith. Everything based on covenant. 

Saul, the flesh, could not overcome Goliath.  In fact, he and his army were terrified and fled from Goliath.  But David, the Spirit and type and shadow of Jesus Christ, took five stones, representing the five books of Moses, and used only one, hitting that blasphemer between the eyes.  You will remember that in one of my devotionals that I spoke about the vision I had of a bull’s skull and the ax that came swooshing past me, hitting it right in the middle of the eye sockets.  The Philistines worshiped Dagon, the Fishgod.  He was believed to be the father of Baal of which the bull’s skull is reminiscent of.  Even there Jesus is saying that He will bring an end to this Baal system, this Babylonian system we find ourselves in.  This same Dagon fell down when the Ark of the Covenant was placed near it and its arms and head were severed, in the same way that Goliath’s head were severed.  This is how God deals with our enemies, because our enemies are His enemies.  However, this system is maintained in the same way that the Christian system, for the lack of a better word, is maintained, and that is through bodies.  The enemy has his body and Jesus has His body.  There is no middle ground.  The word vaccine is derived from the word "Vacca" which means bull, and comes from the word Baal.  He is indeed building his body.  Both are building their body.  The enemy works on the basis of the flesh, and Yeshua on the basis of His Spirit and our spirit. 

The Spirit often came over Saul and he would prophecy.  He wanted to do things right, but towards the end, it was all about his kingdom.  He knew that Samuel had to present the sacrifice before the Lord and to bless them before they could go out to war.  Covenant once again.  However, after the days required by Samuel for Saul to wait for him, Saul became fearful and decided to take it upon himself to make the sacrifice, not willing to wait for Samuel.  Seems legit.  He was doing something that should please the Lord, instead of not doing at all.  However, Samuel was furious with his disobedience.  Firstly because he took it upon himself to do a sacrifice that only a priest could do and secondly because Samuel heard the bleating of sheep and the lowing of the oxen in the background of all the animals he spared.  Samuel gave him strict instructions from the Lord.

1 Samuel 15: 3

Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

Nothing was to be spared…nothing.  And yet, Saul decided to spare Agag as well.  He also told Samuel that it was the people that spared the animals, but the Word says that he and the people spared the best of the animals.  He lied to Samuel, greed made his choices for him and he feared the people.  He also tried to indicate that he did it for religious purposes by saying that they spared the animals to sacrifice them to the Lord.  He basically blamed the people.

Samuel’s response to Saul was the following:

1 Samuel 15: 17

And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?

Right off the bat, Samuel exposes the root of his issue.  Pride. Pride is the root of all sin.  Pride is what lies at the heart of the flesh that refuses to be told what to do.  It hates the law, because the law is to it a burden and requires it to do that which it does not want to do.  And this pride sits squarely, this Saul, in each and every person’s heart until He has by His Spirit thrown that stone right in the middle of his eyes and cut his head off.  It is only by the Spirit that our flesh can die.  Pride lies at the heart of all rebellion.

Samuel tells Saul something that should give us pause to think on how Yeshua looks upon sin. 

1 Samuel 15: 22 - 24

²² And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

²³ For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

²⁴ And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

Here Samuel is telling him that all his religious efforts will simply not cut it.  God desires obedience.  I looked the word rebellion and witchcraft up, as well as stubbornness, iniquity and idolatry.

Rebellion in the Strong’s Concordance is H4805, which means bitterness, offence, hatred.

Witchcraft is H7081 meaning divination.

Stubbornness is H6484 and it means to peck at, stun or dull, which makes me think of dull of hearing.

Iniquity is H205 which means idol, false, vain and wicked.  Idolatry basically means idol and images.

Now from this we understand that rebellion is as... and stubbornness is as...  In other words the Lord is comparing them in the same class of severity.  He is not saying rebellion is witchcraft, He is saying "as" witchcraft.  The same goes for stubbornness.  So they are equally wicked in His eyes.  So let’s look at the different synonyms of the word rebellion, which is the word bitterness.

Loathing / detest / hatred / enmity / displeasure / objection / abhor and resentment. 

There is actually more, but you get my point.  When we rebel like Saul, when we decide that we will decide when we will listen to Him, or how or what…when we lift our will above His, will you dare to believe that the bitterness, the rebellion of Saul is what you are siding with as explained above?  Can you believe that in that moment, the flesh which is in enmity with the Spirit is whom you are siding with?  I am talking about willful sin.  In that moment you break covenant and side with the enemy.  That is how serious it is.  We however decide on the severity of our sins on the scale of our choice.  Lies are seen less severe than murder, stealing less than homosexuality and the list goes on.  We look at these fruits, and forget about the root.  But He has come to lay the ax to the root! 

Why am I harping on this issue?  Because unless we understand that there is a virus that is much more serious that the current one doing the rounds, which is called sin, we stand to forget that the one can kill our body, but the other can cause us to be left behind or worse, be thrown in hell.  The seriousness and gravity of sin is graphically displayed in the sacrifice made in the covenant with us, the cross.

Maybe some are saying at this point, “But Pietra, what chance do we have? Who can stand before the Lord then?”  This is true that no man can see God and live.   This is why we are told to guard our hearts with all diligence for out of it flows the issues of life. 

1 Peter 4: 18 - 19

¹⁸ And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

¹⁹ Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

 

Hebrews 12: 22 - 25

²² But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

²³ To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

²⁴ And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

²⁵ See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

We as children, as sons and daughters of the Most High God have received a way to cover us.  Jesus has made a way by His blood.  We are told to come to the mercy seat in a time of need. 

Hebrews 4: 16

¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. 

The way is via the mercy seat where the blood of the covenant we have with the Father speaks on our behalf.  We come IN Christ to the Father by covenant, and though the Father has every right to slay us, because we break His covenant, we obtain mercy, because He cannot deny His Son’s blood.  His blood cries out on our behalf for mercy.  This is why we have to come and confess of our sins and repent.  All of our Christian walk is based on a love relationship with our David, Jesus Christ, who has made covenant with us by being the sacrifice, by taking the curse upon Him.  The Father gave His Son as the sacrifice for this covenant that is now written upon our hearts and now we have to meet Him daily at the mercy seat where the blood of Jesus covers us. 

Samuel’s response to Agag was to take up his sword and hew the man to pieces.  He was ruthless with his sword, not sparing the flesh.  Are we ruthless with the flesh?  Do we see it for what it really is, not only breaking covenant, but in actuality rebellion or bitterness towards God?  

Hebrews 12: 14 - 15

¹⁴ Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

¹⁵ Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

Sadly, anyone who tells you that you do not have to confess your sins and repent of it, is telling you that breaking His covenant is not as serious as you think.  To say that it is automatically covered by the blood because you gave your heart to the Lord way back, is not true, because when you gave your heart to the Lord, you only entered into covenant and now on the basis of your loving relationship are to keep covenant with Him by faith.  He is making it very clear that without Him we can do nothing.  Our Christian walk is keeping covenant.  The basis is that in covenant with Him we do not have to do it alone, but He teaches us how to walk by faith and He disciplines us as a loving Father and sticks to us as our friend that is closer than a brother.  It is not His desire that anyone should perish, but that all should have eternal life.  When we break covenant with Him, we break the heart of our Friend.  The love works both ways.  He comes to us as David came to Jonathan and He makes covenant with us because He loves us.  It is not based on rules and regulations, but based on love.  This is why He said to the disciples, “If you love me you will do my commandments”.  He was talking covenant.  Our God is a covenant God, not because He loves rules, but because He loves us. May we return with our whole heart to serve and love Him in covenant, understanding that He is faithful to uphold HIs covenant with us, because He loves us.  He is faithful and true, and so we must be too.

I end this devotional with some verses from David out of Psalm 119, remembering that He is a type and shadow of Yeshua.

Psalm 119

¹²⁶ It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law.

¹²⁷ Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.

¹²⁸ Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.

¹²⁹ Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them.

¹³⁰ The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

¹³¹ I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for thy commandments.

¹³² Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.

¹³³ Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

¹³⁴ Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts.

¹³⁵ Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes.

¹³⁶ Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.

¹³⁷ Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments.

¹³⁸ Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.

¹³⁹ My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy words.

¹⁴⁰ Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.

¹⁵⁸ I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word.

¹⁵⁹ Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O Lord, according to thy lovingkindness.

¹⁶⁰ Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth forever.

Link to The Two Covenants - Andrew Murray