The Covenant: Part 3
“The Covenant” part 3
God does nothing in the life of a believer apart from the confines of the covenant.
Seven components of a covenant…
1. Covenant Representative
2. Covenant Oath
3. Covenant Promise
4. Covenant Sacrifice
5. Covenant Seal
6. Covenant Meal
7. Covenant Memorial
“An agreement between God and His people in which He has made binding promises based off of His unconditional love.”
A covenant is sealed by “blood” and a “sacred oath.”
“Covenant Oath”
A contract is defined as “a vehicle whereby properties and goods are exchanged from one person to another.”
A Covenant is actually “the giving of one’s whole self to another.”
Romans 8:32 [TPT], For God has proved his love by giving us His greatest treasure, the gift of His Son. And since God freely offered Him up as a sacrifice for us all, He certainly won’t withhold from us anything else He has to give.
When making an oath a person would commonly…
-raise one hand [Gen. 14:22]
-put their hand under the other’s thigh [Gen. 24:2]
-kill an animal, divide it into two parts and pass between the pieces [Gen. 15:8-18]
…as they did this they would also swear by either…
-their own lives
-the other person’s life
-the life of their king
-the angels
-the temple
-Jerusalem
-God
By giving an oath they were inviting God…
1. To be a witness between them and the truth of their words.
2. To be their strength in the keeping of the covenant terms.
3. To keep an ever-present watch over them to ensure the covenant is being kept .
Q—“What is an oath?”
The Bible Dictionary defines an Oath as “an appeal to God to witness the truth of a statement or of the binding character of a promise.”
Genesis 31:44-55 [NLT], So come, let’s make a covenant, you and I, and it will be a witness to our commitment.” 45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a monument. 46 Then he told his family members, “Gather some stones.” So they gathered stones and piled them in a heap. Then Jacob and Laban sat down beside the pile of stones to eat a covenant meal. 47 To commemorate the event, Laban called the place Jegar-sahadutha (which means “witness pile” in Aramaic), and Jacob called it Galeed (which means “witness pile” in Hebrew). 48 Then Laban declared, “This pile of stones will stand as a witness to remind us of the covenant we have made today.” This explains why it was called Galeed—“Witness Pile.” 49 But it was also called Mizpah (which means “watchtower”), for Laban said, “May the Lord keep watch between us to make sure that we keep this covenant when we are out of each other’s sight. 50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you marry other wives, God will see it even if no one else does. He is a witness to this covenant between us. 51 “See this pile of stones,” Laban continued, “and see this monument I have set between us. 52 They stand between us as witnesses of our vows. I will never pass this pile of stones to harm you, and you must never pass these stones or this monument to harm me. 53 I call on the God of our ancestors—the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of my grandfather Nahor—to serve as a judge between us.” So Jacob took an OATH before the fearsome God of his father, Isaac, to respect the boundary line. 54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice to God there on the mountain and invited everyone to a covenant feast. After they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain. 55 Laban got up early the next morning, and he kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home.
Hebrews 6:13-19 [NLT], For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an OATH in His own name, saying: 14 “I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.” 15 Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised. 16 Now when people take an OATH, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that OATH is binding. 17 God also bound Himself with an OATH, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that He would never change His mind. 18 So God has given both His promise and His OATH. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. 19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.
1. God swore by His own name
Hebrews 6:13-19 [NLT], “Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in His own name.” —Another translations says, “He swore an oath on His own integrity to keep the promise as sure as God [He] exist!”
Q—Why did God swear by His own name?
Malachi 3:6 [NLT], “I am the Lord, and I do not change.”
Hebrews 6:13-19 [NLT], “God also bound himself with an OATH, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that He would never change His mind.”
Numbers 23:19 [NLT], God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through?
Psalm 89:34 [NKJV], My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.
2. God said, “I will…”
Hebrews 6:14 [NLT], “I WILL certainly bless you…”
Q—How does God bless us under the New Covenant?
Jeremiah 32:38 [AMP], “They will be My people, and I will be their God…”
Ezekiel 36:25-27 [NLT], “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. 27 And I will put My Spirit in you so that you will follow My decrees and be careful to obey My regulations.”
He made an oath that says…
-I will remove your guilt and shame
-I will free you from the authority of sin and death
-I will free you from the bondage of Satan and all the power of darkness
-I will give you a new heart and put My Spirit in you
-I will cause you to belong to Me by bringing you into My covenant family
-I will give you the motivation, desire, and enabling power to live a life that loves Me and those around you
-I will bless you and all that you do in My name
1 John 1:9 [AMP], If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].
“We are given a covenant oath so that we may never doubt His commitment to fulfill every word of His covenant promises.”
Philippians 1:6 [TPT], I pray with great faith for you, because I am fully convinced that the One Who began this glorious work in you will faithfully continue the process of maturing you and will put His finishing touches to it until the unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ!
3. God is faithful
Hebrews 6:14-15 [NLT], “I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.” 15 Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.”
Q—Why did Abraham receive the promise?
“His faithfulness is the outworking of His covenant oath.”
2 Timothy 2:13 [NLT], If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny who he is.
That actually means, “He cannot and will not be UNFAITHFUL to Himself, because He is the Faithful One.”