Achieved Articles
(Articles appear from the newest to the oldest. To read the articles in the time line in which they were posted, scroll down to find the oldest in the tread and read upwards from oldest to newest.)
(Articles appear from the newest to the oldest. To read the articles in the time line in which they were posted, scroll down to find the oldest in the tread and read upwards from oldest to newest.)
The Dismantling of the Older Covenant Order by Dr. Patti Amsden
Not everything continues the way it has always been. Even things that are in keeping with God’s everlasting covenant can change. Although His eternal principles remain steadfast, the outward manifestation of those principles – or the package in which those principles are contained – may change from one era to another. For example, God always and eternally promised that sin could be atoned for. God would accept the life of a substitute for the life of the guilty man. That was and is an eternal truth. Throughout the Old Covenant order, God temporarily accepted the life of the Passover Lamb (Ex. 12:1-33) in place of the life of the covenant believer. However, the day arrived when the Lamb of God (Jn. 1:29), Jesus, came to be the final Passover Lamb and to once and for all pay the transgressor’s penalty (Heb. 12). The eternal truth of substitution and redemption remained steadfast but the package changed.
The dismantling of the former covenant order is seldom pain free. Consider the birth of a baby who is transitioning from life in the womb to life outside the womb. The life of the baby continues in a new form and in a new environment. The birth could be considered to be a change in the covenant order. The old package of the womb becomes outdated and the new package will be much better suited to advance the covenant and the life. So birth comes. It always comes. And it always comes with pressure and, usually, pain. The baby must be pressed through and the mother must push through before the newer covenant order can be achieved.
When life in this world is over, the believer is ushered into eternity, which is life in a newer covenant order. Life continues at the next level. The covenant continues but it continues in a new phase. Death is the passage, and death seldom is pain free. The body houses the spirit or, it could be said, that the body is the temporary package in which the eternal spirit is housed. The earthly body is the older covenant order that must be changed. Death dismantles or strips off the body. Some testimonies of death seem to have a minimum amount of pain as though the believer wills himself to depart his flesh or move out of his earth house. Other testimonies tell of various levels of physical pains or illnesses where the believer would desire to go but, for whatever cause, must endure the pain for a season. Although it is beyond the scope of this paper to examine why some suffer more than others at the time of death, the common thread is that the body is discarded though some level of dismantling. And, even if the dying saint experiences just momentary effects, those who remain behind feel the pain of their loved one’s departure.
As has been said, the dismantling of the former covenant order is seldom pain free. Parents release their children into marriage; and although they want the new covenant order for their child, they endure some level of pain or grief at the closing of the older family structure. A job change may necessitate relocation; and even though the employee wants the promotion of the newer covenant, he or she must endure saying goodbye to friends and loved ones from the former covenant order. Life moves everyone forward. The new is promising and necessary. The old is familiar and treasured. But, the old must be discarded and dismantled if the new is to be embraced.
As an individual grows, change is inevitable. As a society grows, changes occur. For example, Western civilization has undergone a cultural covenant change within the last few decades. There has been a revolution in technology, and the world has cast off the garments of a pre-technology era. Jobs have been lost; industries have become outdated; methodologies have been discarded. In some cases, the balance of power between nations has shifted. The lion’s share of the stock market has transitioned from former industry leaders to newer industry leaders. As with every other covenant transition, some of the casing or packaging of the older covenant had to be dismantled and discarded. Past the pain comes the unveiling of the newer world.
Scripture is replete with examples of covenantal changes. In Moses day, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram did not like the change from patriarchal national leaders to God’s appointment of Moses and the Levites as the nation’s leader (Num.16). Korah’s group was losing their power base. They did not want the change so they rebelled. God dismantled their leadership in a painful way when “the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that pertained unto Korah and their goods” (vs.32). In Jesus day, the covenant order was changing. John the Baptist had the right attitude toward the dismantling when he stated, “He must increase and I must decrease (Jn.3:30).
Over the centuries, the church has undergone changes. From the close of the twentieth century into the beginning of the twenty-first century, the Spirit of God has continuously been speaking that the role of Apostles and the functions of the Apostolic church will be the package or the newer manifestation of the God’s covenant people. Church leaders are accustomed to religious activities associated with their liturgies, their programs, and even their denominational affinity. Time will yet tell exactly what the Apostolic church will look like and how its covenantal representation will be unharnessed from its current day, pastoral-driven expression. There may be some pain as the church advances and grows to the “measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13); but the promise of a broader, better place is always attached to reaching the newer form of the covenant. As God is dismantling the exterior of the older day, He is, at the same time, positioning the church to fulfill her mandate to disciple nations for the glory of God. (Mt. 28:18-20).
Not everything continues the way it has always been. Even things that are in keeping with God’s everlasting covenant can change. Although His eternal principles remain steadfast, the outward manifestation of those principles – or the package in which those principles are contained – may change from one era to another. For example, God always and eternally promised that sin could be atoned for. God would accept the life of a substitute for the life of the guilty man. That was and is an eternal truth. Throughout the Old Covenant order, God temporarily accepted the life of the Passover Lamb (Ex. 12:1-33) in place of the life of the covenant believer. However, the day arrived when the Lamb of God (Jn. 1:29), Jesus, came to be the final Passover Lamb and to once and for all pay the transgressor’s penalty (Heb. 12). The eternal truth of substitution and redemption remained steadfast but the package changed.
The dismantling of the former covenant order is seldom pain free. Consider the birth of a baby who is transitioning from life in the womb to life outside the womb. The life of the baby continues in a new form and in a new environment. The birth could be considered to be a change in the covenant order. The old package of the womb becomes outdated and the new package will be much better suited to advance the covenant and the life. So birth comes. It always comes. And it always comes with pressure and, usually, pain. The baby must be pressed through and the mother must push through before the newer covenant order can be achieved.
When life in this world is over, the believer is ushered into eternity, which is life in a newer covenant order. Life continues at the next level. The covenant continues but it continues in a new phase. Death is the passage, and death seldom is pain free. The body houses the spirit or, it could be said, that the body is the temporary package in which the eternal spirit is housed. The earthly body is the older covenant order that must be changed. Death dismantles or strips off the body. Some testimonies of death seem to have a minimum amount of pain as though the believer wills himself to depart his flesh or move out of his earth house. Other testimonies tell of various levels of physical pains or illnesses where the believer would desire to go but, for whatever cause, must endure the pain for a season. Although it is beyond the scope of this paper to examine why some suffer more than others at the time of death, the common thread is that the body is discarded though some level of dismantling. And, even if the dying saint experiences just momentary effects, those who remain behind feel the pain of their loved one’s departure.
As has been said, the dismantling of the former covenant order is seldom pain free. Parents release their children into marriage; and although they want the new covenant order for their child, they endure some level of pain or grief at the closing of the older family structure. A job change may necessitate relocation; and even though the employee wants the promotion of the newer covenant, he or she must endure saying goodbye to friends and loved ones from the former covenant order. Life moves everyone forward. The new is promising and necessary. The old is familiar and treasured. But, the old must be discarded and dismantled if the new is to be embraced.
As an individual grows, change is inevitable. As a society grows, changes occur. For example, Western civilization has undergone a cultural covenant change within the last few decades. There has been a revolution in technology, and the world has cast off the garments of a pre-technology era. Jobs have been lost; industries have become outdated; methodologies have been discarded. In some cases, the balance of power between nations has shifted. The lion’s share of the stock market has transitioned from former industry leaders to newer industry leaders. As with every other covenant transition, some of the casing or packaging of the older covenant had to be dismantled and discarded. Past the pain comes the unveiling of the newer world.
Scripture is replete with examples of covenantal changes. In Moses day, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram did not like the change from patriarchal national leaders to God’s appointment of Moses and the Levites as the nation’s leader (Num.16). Korah’s group was losing their power base. They did not want the change so they rebelled. God dismantled their leadership in a painful way when “the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that pertained unto Korah and their goods” (vs.32). In Jesus day, the covenant order was changing. John the Baptist had the right attitude toward the dismantling when he stated, “He must increase and I must decrease (Jn.3:30).
Over the centuries, the church has undergone changes. From the close of the twentieth century into the beginning of the twenty-first century, the Spirit of God has continuously been speaking that the role of Apostles and the functions of the Apostolic church will be the package or the newer manifestation of the God’s covenant people. Church leaders are accustomed to religious activities associated with their liturgies, their programs, and even their denominational affinity. Time will yet tell exactly what the Apostolic church will look like and how its covenantal representation will be unharnessed from its current day, pastoral-driven expression. There may be some pain as the church advances and grows to the “measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13); but the promise of a broader, better place is always attached to reaching the newer form of the covenant. As God is dismantling the exterior of the older day, He is, at the same time, positioning the church to fulfill her mandate to disciple nations for the glory of God. (Mt. 28:18-20).
Blessed are the Meek by Dr. Patti Amsden
Those who are faithful to the covenant are guaranteed a future – both on earth and in heaven. Christians often speak about the promised life to come in heaven. There, eternal bliss and blessings are rewards to the faithful. That message is proclaimed in church sermons, Sunday school classes, and funeral eulogies. Heaven’s reward is the hope of all believers who have endured hardship and persecutions, a better prospect for anyone whose body is racked with pain from injury or disease, and the dream of everyone who has said goodbye to a loved one. Heaven is real; heaven’s rewards are eternal.
Scripture also promises a future of blessing in this life on earth. That message is not as frequently discussed within the Christian community. Nonetheless, the bible has much to say linking reward to the earth. Jesus declared, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Mt. 5:5). The Lord was delivering the famous Beatitudes when he proclaimed that promise. In context, Jesus had already identified the persons who would inherit the earth. They would be those who recognized that their impoverish spiritual condition lacked any blessing or future. These, having already acknowledged that their non-covenant lifestyle merited only privation and death, were ready to begin a new life. They called out for comfort that can only be found when one connects with God who is the source of all comfort, salvation and provision. The poor ones were ready for a new start.
Stating over meant that they could no longer live under self-imposed ideals, self-serving practices, and selfish agendas. They must begin to live under God-defined truths. They must yoke with God. His yoke would harness their person and strengths so that they could be directed to walk as his companion in covenant pathways. The new way would release blessings not cursing, life not death, abundance not poverty, inheritance not disinheritance.
Jesus was not the first to promise inheritance to the meek. Psalm 37:11 states, “But the meek shall inherit the earth.” Psalm 37 is filled with insight as to who gets the earth, its resources, and authority to manage it. Inheritance of the earth is always the heritage of those in covenant with God. The non-covenant are always disinherited.
In the first verses of this psalm, the reader is admonished not to look at the temporary earthly gain of those who do not follow God as though what they have can be preserved. “They shall soon be cut down like the grass and whither as the green herb” (vs. 2). “Evildoers shall be cut off” (vs. 9). “In a little while, the wicked shall not be” (vs. 10). “The arms of the wicked shall be broken” (vs. 17). “The wicked shall perish” (vs. 20). “They that be cursed of him (God) shall be cut off” (vs. 22). “The seed of the wicked shall be cut off” (vs. 28). “When the wicked are cut off, you (the covenantally faithful) shall see it” (vs. 34). “I sought him (the unfaithful man) but he could not be found” (vs. 36). “The transgressor shall be destroyed together; the end of the wicked shall be cut off” (vs. 38).
Psalm 37 clearly defines that any prosperity or blessing that the non-covenant might accumulate is short term because their end is to be dispossessed and disinherited. Long-term earth management will not be awarded to those who do not yoke with God and work for God. However, the opposite is promised to the faithful in the same psalm. “You shall dwell in the land and be fed” (vs. 3). “Lord with give you the desires of your heart” (vs. 4). “God shall bring forth your righteousness as the light” (vs. 6). “They that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth” (vs. 9). “The meek shall inherit the earth (vs. 11). “The Lord upholds the righteous” (vs. 17). “Their inheritance (the upright) shall be forever” (vs. 18). “They (the upright) shall not be ashamed in the evil time and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied” (vs. 19). “Such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth” (vs. 22). “I have never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed out begging for bread” (vs. 25). “The Lord forsakes not his saints; they are preserved forever” (vs. 28). “The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell therein forever” (vs. 29). “He (the Lord) shall exalt thee to inherit the land” (vs. 34). “The end of that man (the perfect man) is peace” (vs. 37).
The earth is the Lord’s (Deut. 10:14; I Chron. 29:11; Ps. 24:11). God does not acquiesce His Lordship or His possessions to the management of the ungodly, weather they are devils or humans. God rules. His very person guarantees that all authority must answer to Him. He will supersede all unrighteousness and secure eternal peace and safety. He casts out the unfaithful. He rewards the faithful – both in earth and in heaven. Blessed are those who walk with God in his yoke – those who meekly and humbly submit to his covenant – for they shall inherit the earth.
Covenantal Faithfulness and Stewarding the Earth by Dr. Patti Amsden
Not only did God offer a covenant to mankind and explain the terms or rules for covenant-keeping faithfulness, He also clearly laid out the blessings and cursings that would result from obedience or disobedience, respectively. New Testament believers often relate the sanctions of God to spiritual blessings such as peace, holiness, or a closer walk with the Lord. At times the definition of blessings extends to a happy family, financial prosperity, and even physical health. Although there is no doubt that covenant blessings umbrella all the areas just mentioned, the scripture places sanctions in the context of the dominion assignment.
Deuteronomy 28, which is perhaps the most known passage outlining blessings or cursings, was written by Moses as he prepared the nation of Israel for their occupation of the Promised Land. “And it shall be on the day when you shall pass over the Jordan unto the land which the Lord thy God gives to you . . . .” (Deut. 27:2). This verse sets up the context of the remainder of chapter 27 and chapter 28. The blessings were tied to the nation’s ability to thrive as they worked with and ruled the territory under their stewardship. Faithfulness would mean that “the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth” (Deut. 28:1). They would be the most successful nation in their dominion assignment.
Moses told the people that their agriculture (field) and their businesses (city) would prosper. They would have sufficient food to eat (basket) and extra to use for commerce (store). They would excel as a world leader in banking (lend to many nations), and they would have victory in international conflicts (enemies will be defeated before you). In context of verses 1-14, the nation’s ability to conquer the land, occupy and do business, and fulfill its dominion mandate are the topics under discussion. The spiritual and economic blessing of the individual was not the main thesis of the text.
Verses 15 through 68 turn to the curses attached to covenantal unfaithfulness. Again, the thrust of the passages is in context of earthly dominion. The field and the city, the basket and the store immediately again come into view. Disease that reduces the work force, shortens the life-span of the workers, and adds economic hardships on the nation and the infirmed would increase (consumption, fever . . . will pursue you until you perish). Enemy forces would overcome them and they, themselves, would become servants to their adversaries. The text clearly describes a nation that has failed at its dominion assignment and whose end is to be disinherited from the land. “You shall be plucked up from off the land where you go to possess it and the Lord will scatter you among all people . . .” (vs. 63-64).
Why would obedience be tied to a land assignment? The answer to that question is most easily found by looking back to the Genesis narrative. God made the earth and all that is in it. As the Creator, He is the owner. Next, God appointed a steward to help Him manage His asset. The earth was placed under the care of Adam and, in Adam, all the people of the earth. The serpent wanted to exert his self-appointed headship and tempted the first couple to yield their earthly authority to him. They did. They made a covenant with the serpent and went to work with him for earthly dominion. God promised a defeat to the enemy’s power, his headship, and his earthly plans (Gen.3:15). God set about to reclaim His human stewards and, through them, to reclaim His earth.
God created the earth to be “good.” God employs workers who help him produce the fruit of “good” in the earth. God fires workers who want to produce the corrupt fruit of wickedness. There may be tares (wicked workers and wicked fruit) and wheat (godly workers and good fruit) growing together for a time, but the day of harvest always arrives; and when it does, the tares are cut down and burned (Mt. 13:36-43). Unfaithfulness to the covenant yields disinheritance. God fires those whose work product is something other than His fruit. God grants land stewardship to the righteous.
Israel inherited the Promise Land after the Canaanites were fired by God. Scripture states that they filled the land with unrighteous works and that the full measure of their iniquity had positioned them to be disinherited. The Israelites were sent to take over that same portion of the earth and manage it as God’s appointed representative. If they would be faithful in the covenant mandate, they would be blessed: blessed in their fields and cities, in their baskets and their stores, blessed in their international influence and their military prowess. Who rules the earth? Those who are faithful to the covenant! Next week’s article will discuss “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” of the earth.
Not only did God offer a covenant to mankind and explain the terms or rules for covenant-keeping faithfulness, He also clearly laid out the blessings and cursings that would result from obedience or disobedience, respectively. New Testament believers often relate the sanctions of God to spiritual blessings such as peace, holiness, or a closer walk with the Lord. At times the definition of blessings extends to a happy family, financial prosperity, and even physical health. Although there is no doubt that covenant blessings umbrella all the areas just mentioned, the scripture places sanctions in the context of the dominion assignment.
Deuteronomy 28, which is perhaps the most known passage outlining blessings or cursings, was written by Moses as he prepared the nation of Israel for their occupation of the Promised Land. “And it shall be on the day when you shall pass over the Jordan unto the land which the Lord thy God gives to you . . . .” (Deut. 27:2). This verse sets up the context of the remainder of chapter 27 and chapter 28. The blessings were tied to the nation’s ability to thrive as they worked with and ruled the territory under their stewardship. Faithfulness would mean that “the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth” (Deut. 28:1). They would be the most successful nation in their dominion assignment.
Moses told the people that their agriculture (field) and their businesses (city) would prosper. They would have sufficient food to eat (basket) and extra to use for commerce (store). They would excel as a world leader in banking (lend to many nations), and they would have victory in international conflicts (enemies will be defeated before you). In context of verses 1-14, the nation’s ability to conquer the land, occupy and do business, and fulfill its dominion mandate are the topics under discussion. The spiritual and economic blessing of the individual was not the main thesis of the text.
Verses 15 through 68 turn to the curses attached to covenantal unfaithfulness. Again, the thrust of the passages is in context of earthly dominion. The field and the city, the basket and the store immediately again come into view. Disease that reduces the work force, shortens the life-span of the workers, and adds economic hardships on the nation and the infirmed would increase (consumption, fever . . . will pursue you until you perish). Enemy forces would overcome them and they, themselves, would become servants to their adversaries. The text clearly describes a nation that has failed at its dominion assignment and whose end is to be disinherited from the land. “You shall be plucked up from off the land where you go to possess it and the Lord will scatter you among all people . . .” (vs. 63-64).
Why would obedience be tied to a land assignment? The answer to that question is most easily found by looking back to the Genesis narrative. God made the earth and all that is in it. As the Creator, He is the owner. Next, God appointed a steward to help Him manage His asset. The earth was placed under the care of Adam and, in Adam, all the people of the earth. The serpent wanted to exert his self-appointed headship and tempted the first couple to yield their earthly authority to him. They did. They made a covenant with the serpent and went to work with him for earthly dominion. God promised a defeat to the enemy’s power, his headship, and his earthly plans (Gen.3:15). God set about to reclaim His human stewards and, through them, to reclaim His earth.
God created the earth to be “good.” God employs workers who help him produce the fruit of “good” in the earth. God fires workers who want to produce the corrupt fruit of wickedness. There may be tares (wicked workers and wicked fruit) and wheat (godly workers and good fruit) growing together for a time, but the day of harvest always arrives; and when it does, the tares are cut down and burned (Mt. 13:36-43). Unfaithfulness to the covenant yields disinheritance. God fires those whose work product is something other than His fruit. God grants land stewardship to the righteous.
Israel inherited the Promise Land after the Canaanites were fired by God. Scripture states that they filled the land with unrighteous works and that the full measure of their iniquity had positioned them to be disinherited. The Israelites were sent to take over that same portion of the earth and manage it as God’s appointed representative. If they would be faithful in the covenant mandate, they would be blessed: blessed in their fields and cities, in their baskets and their stores, blessed in their international influence and their military prowess. Who rules the earth? Those who are faithful to the covenant! Next week’s article will discuss “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” of the earth.
Covenantal Sanctions by Dr. Patti Amsden
Every covenant promises some type of reward for faithfulness. Even if the stipulations outlined within the covenant seem difficult, anticipating the reward seems to deter violation of the terms. For example, when a potential home owner approaches a bank to borrow money to purchase a house, the bank proposes terms that usually attach interest that accumulates to a sizable amount. Because the idea of owning a home is enticing, the buyer agrees to the terms. Monthly house payments often stretch the family budget or place a hardship on the family’s cash flow. Nonetheless, the payments are made in the anticipation of the reward – owning the home.
Scripture defines the reward for faithfulness to the covenant in terms of blessings. Deuteronomy 28 outlines personal, family, economic, business, and national blessings. God was promising the nation of Israel that they would experience positive sanctions for living the ethic that God had outlined in His covenant. “And it shall come to pass, if you will hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord your God, to observe and to do all his commandments that I command you this day, that the Lord your God will set you on high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come on you and overtake you, if you shall hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God” (Deut. 28:1-2).
If faithfulness to the terms yields the promised blessing, then unfaithfulness causes forfeiture of the blessing. Again drawing from the illustration of purchasing a home, the buyer who fails to make the monthly payments will not receive the reward of owning the home. However, unfaithfulness not only carries forfeiture, but it also has penalties attached. The one who defaults on the house payments will get a mark against his or her credit and could be denied a loan in the future or might have to pay a higher interest rate. Unfaithfulness yields forfeiture plus penalties. Penalties are defined by scripture as curses.
“But it shall come to pass, if you will not hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God to observe and to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you this day, that all these curse shall come upon you and overtake you” (Deut. 28:15). God, through Moses, outlined the negative sanctions that Israel would suffer if she was unfaithful to covenant terms.
Both the promise of the positive blessing and the threat of the negative curse can serve as motivators for covenant-keeping faithfulness. Covenantal sanctions testify. Before the covenant is cut – the sanctions serve to forecast the future. Obey and get the promise; disobey and forfeit the promise plus receive the penalty. Sanctions are prophetic. After the covenant is offered, accepted, and fulfilled or forfeited – the sanctions speak of the history. They communicate faithfulness and unfaithfulness. They testify of the outcome. One is either better or worse based upon which sanction is meted out.
The future is determined by how man keeps covenant. Israel was both blessed and cursed, had economic abundance or lack, lived under God’s protection or suffered under enemy oppression, inherited lands or was disinherited. Israel’s earthly status reflected her covenantal status. When Israel proved trustworthy with that which she had, God rewarded her with more – more authority, more prosperity, more land, more earthly reward and even a longer future. Faithful managers inherit the earth. Unfaithful stewards forfeit the portion of the earth under their management. Next week’s article will continue to develop the subject of covenantal stewardship of the earth.
Every covenant promises some type of reward for faithfulness. Even if the stipulations outlined within the covenant seem difficult, anticipating the reward seems to deter violation of the terms. For example, when a potential home owner approaches a bank to borrow money to purchase a house, the bank proposes terms that usually attach interest that accumulates to a sizable amount. Because the idea of owning a home is enticing, the buyer agrees to the terms. Monthly house payments often stretch the family budget or place a hardship on the family’s cash flow. Nonetheless, the payments are made in the anticipation of the reward – owning the home.
Scripture defines the reward for faithfulness to the covenant in terms of blessings. Deuteronomy 28 outlines personal, family, economic, business, and national blessings. God was promising the nation of Israel that they would experience positive sanctions for living the ethic that God had outlined in His covenant. “And it shall come to pass, if you will hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord your God, to observe and to do all his commandments that I command you this day, that the Lord your God will set you on high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come on you and overtake you, if you shall hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God” (Deut. 28:1-2).
If faithfulness to the terms yields the promised blessing, then unfaithfulness causes forfeiture of the blessing. Again drawing from the illustration of purchasing a home, the buyer who fails to make the monthly payments will not receive the reward of owning the home. However, unfaithfulness not only carries forfeiture, but it also has penalties attached. The one who defaults on the house payments will get a mark against his or her credit and could be denied a loan in the future or might have to pay a higher interest rate. Unfaithfulness yields forfeiture plus penalties. Penalties are defined by scripture as curses.
“But it shall come to pass, if you will not hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God to observe and to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you this day, that all these curse shall come upon you and overtake you” (Deut. 28:15). God, through Moses, outlined the negative sanctions that Israel would suffer if she was unfaithful to covenant terms.
Both the promise of the positive blessing and the threat of the negative curse can serve as motivators for covenant-keeping faithfulness. Covenantal sanctions testify. Before the covenant is cut – the sanctions serve to forecast the future. Obey and get the promise; disobey and forfeit the promise plus receive the penalty. Sanctions are prophetic. After the covenant is offered, accepted, and fulfilled or forfeited – the sanctions speak of the history. They communicate faithfulness and unfaithfulness. They testify of the outcome. One is either better or worse based upon which sanction is meted out.
The future is determined by how man keeps covenant. Israel was both blessed and cursed, had economic abundance or lack, lived under God’s protection or suffered under enemy oppression, inherited lands or was disinherited. Israel’s earthly status reflected her covenantal status. When Israel proved trustworthy with that which she had, God rewarded her with more – more authority, more prosperity, more land, more earthly reward and even a longer future. Faithful managers inherit the earth. Unfaithful stewards forfeit the portion of the earth under their management. Next week’s article will continue to develop the subject of covenantal stewardship of the earth.
The Ratified Covenant by Dr. Patti Amsden
A covenant is an agreement between two parties. One party offers the covenant, which includes the assets that will be exchanged and the terms that must be met before the transfer can be completed. The second party accepts the covenantal terms by means of a pledge or a vow. Once both parties agree, the covenant is cut.
Full exchange of the promised provisions requires faithfulness by both parties. Modern day contracts usually include signed, notarized, and registered paperwork that carries legal ramifications to either party who defaults. In simpler days, a man’s handshake was often considered his vow. If he promised to be faithful to the terms, his covenant partner would trust him to keep his word. Whether by paper or promise, a vow was always part of the cutting of a covenant.
During biblical days, the vow was often acted out. In Jeremiah 34:13-20, God pronounced a judgment against Israel for not keeping the terms of the covenant that she accepted when she “cut the calf in half and passed between the parts of it” (verse 18). Why did the Israelites walk between the dismembered animal? The deed was a visible testimony of the vow the nation was making. They were stating that they were volunteering to place themselves under negative sanctions, which could include their own death, should they fail to keep the terms that God required of them when He offered them the covenant. In essence, they were saying, “Be it unto us as this animal should we default on our pledge.” The vow was called a self-maledictory oath, meaning to call down maledictions or judgment upon oneself. This practice of calling maledictions continues today. For example, a man buying any item on credit promises to fulfill the contract terms by paying a set amount at a set time and also promises to take the penalties (maledictory oath) if he should fail to keep the terms.
Understanding this practice of acting out the vow by walking between the pieces of a cut animal sheds great light on the covenant that was cut between God and Abraham in Genesis 15. God promised to give great provision and protection to Abraham. Abraham was willing to make the covenant so he set about to take a vow by cutting several animals into pieces. Before he could take the self-maledictory oath, he fell into a deep sleep or trance during which time the Lord spoke to him and appeared to him in the form of a burning fire. The heavenly form walked the pathway that Abraham was supposed to walk; the supernatural appearance of God passed between the dismembered animals.
God took the self-maledictory oath in Abraham’s stead. God promised Abraham that the penalties of a broken covenant would be placed upon another – a heavenly other – rather than upon Abraham and his seed. God was foretelling His covenant partner that the death penalty of the self-maledictory oath would be paid by the One God would send. New Testament believers understand that the great enactment between God and Abraham was foretelling the coming of Jesus Christ and his substitutional death on Calvary where he bore the death sentence due to all covenant partners who failed to live up to all the terms of God’s holy covenant.
God offered an everlasting covenant to His called out ones. Covenant partners throughout the pages of scripture failed to keep the terms; failed to ratify. God mercifully paid the due penalty through the death of His Son and the blood of the everlasting covenant (Heb. 13:20). However, being forgiven and free of the charge is not the same thing as receiving the exchange of assets that were promised in the covenant. For that to occur, the covenant must be ratified. Someone must faithfully live out the terms. Jesus did that. Jesus always did those things which pleased the Father (Jn. 8:29). Jesus only did what he saw His Father do (Jn. 5:19). Jesus brought glory and honor to His Father (Jn. 17:4). Jesus fulfilled all the requirements to inherit the promised blessings. Jesus ratified the covenant.
God the Father offered the covenant. God the Son secured the covenant. The provisions, blessings, and promises were transferred. Jesus is the heir. Those who believe in Christ and who, by faith, become part of Christ’s family, His body, His church are offered the privilege of becoming joint-heirs (Rom. 8:17). Believers share in the ratified covenant that Jesus secured. The covenant between the Father and the Son is the Everlasting Covenant that cannot be dissolved, be suspended, or vanish away. It is everlasting! It is unfailing! It is secure! How that everlasting covenant affects the earth will be the topic of next week’s article.
A covenant is an agreement between two parties. One party offers the covenant, which includes the assets that will be exchanged and the terms that must be met before the transfer can be completed. The second party accepts the covenantal terms by means of a pledge or a vow. Once both parties agree, the covenant is cut.
Full exchange of the promised provisions requires faithfulness by both parties. Modern day contracts usually include signed, notarized, and registered paperwork that carries legal ramifications to either party who defaults. In simpler days, a man’s handshake was often considered his vow. If he promised to be faithful to the terms, his covenant partner would trust him to keep his word. Whether by paper or promise, a vow was always part of the cutting of a covenant.
During biblical days, the vow was often acted out. In Jeremiah 34:13-20, God pronounced a judgment against Israel for not keeping the terms of the covenant that she accepted when she “cut the calf in half and passed between the parts of it” (verse 18). Why did the Israelites walk between the dismembered animal? The deed was a visible testimony of the vow the nation was making. They were stating that they were volunteering to place themselves under negative sanctions, which could include their own death, should they fail to keep the terms that God required of them when He offered them the covenant. In essence, they were saying, “Be it unto us as this animal should we default on our pledge.” The vow was called a self-maledictory oath, meaning to call down maledictions or judgment upon oneself. This practice of calling maledictions continues today. For example, a man buying any item on credit promises to fulfill the contract terms by paying a set amount at a set time and also promises to take the penalties (maledictory oath) if he should fail to keep the terms.
Understanding this practice of acting out the vow by walking between the pieces of a cut animal sheds great light on the covenant that was cut between God and Abraham in Genesis 15. God promised to give great provision and protection to Abraham. Abraham was willing to make the covenant so he set about to take a vow by cutting several animals into pieces. Before he could take the self-maledictory oath, he fell into a deep sleep or trance during which time the Lord spoke to him and appeared to him in the form of a burning fire. The heavenly form walked the pathway that Abraham was supposed to walk; the supernatural appearance of God passed between the dismembered animals.
God took the self-maledictory oath in Abraham’s stead. God promised Abraham that the penalties of a broken covenant would be placed upon another – a heavenly other – rather than upon Abraham and his seed. God was foretelling His covenant partner that the death penalty of the self-maledictory oath would be paid by the One God would send. New Testament believers understand that the great enactment between God and Abraham was foretelling the coming of Jesus Christ and his substitutional death on Calvary where he bore the death sentence due to all covenant partners who failed to live up to all the terms of God’s holy covenant.
God offered an everlasting covenant to His called out ones. Covenant partners throughout the pages of scripture failed to keep the terms; failed to ratify. God mercifully paid the due penalty through the death of His Son and the blood of the everlasting covenant (Heb. 13:20). However, being forgiven and free of the charge is not the same thing as receiving the exchange of assets that were promised in the covenant. For that to occur, the covenant must be ratified. Someone must faithfully live out the terms. Jesus did that. Jesus always did those things which pleased the Father (Jn. 8:29). Jesus only did what he saw His Father do (Jn. 5:19). Jesus brought glory and honor to His Father (Jn. 17:4). Jesus fulfilled all the requirements to inherit the promised blessings. Jesus ratified the covenant.
God the Father offered the covenant. God the Son secured the covenant. The provisions, blessings, and promises were transferred. Jesus is the heir. Those who believe in Christ and who, by faith, become part of Christ’s family, His body, His church are offered the privilege of becoming joint-heirs (Rom. 8:17). Believers share in the ratified covenant that Jesus secured. The covenant between the Father and the Son is the Everlasting Covenant that cannot be dissolved, be suspended, or vanish away. It is everlasting! It is unfailing! It is secure! How that everlasting covenant affects the earth will be the topic of next week’s article.
A covenant is an agreement between two parties. One party offers the covenant, which includes the assets that will be exchanged and the terms that must be met before the transfer can be completed. The second party accepts the covenantal terms by means of a pledge or a vow. Once both parties agree, the covenant is cut.
Full exchange of the promised provisions requires faithfulness by both parties. Modern day contracts usually include signed, notarized, and registered paperwork that carries legal ramifications to either party who defaults. In simpler days, a man’s handshake was often considered his vow. If he promised to be faithful to the terms, his covenant partner would trust him to keep his word. Whether by paper or promise, a vow was always part of the cutting of a covenant.
During biblical days, the vow was often acted out. In Jeremiah 34:13-20, God pronounced a judgment against Israel for not keeping the terms of the covenant that she accepted when she “cut the calf in half and passed between the parts of it” (verse 18). Why did the Israelites walk between the dismembered animal? The deed was a visible testimony of the vow the nation was making. They were stating that they were volunteering to place themselves under negative sanctions, which could include their own death, should they fail to keep the terms that God required of them when He offered them the covenant. In essence, they were saying, “Be it unto us as this animal should we default on our pledge.” The vow was called a self-maledictory oath, meaning to call down maledictions or judgment upon oneself. This practice of calling maledictions continues today. For example, a man buying any item on credit promises to fulfill the contract terms by paying a set amount at a set time and also promises to take the penalties (maledictory oath) if he should fail to keep the terms.
Understanding this practice of acting out the vow by walking between the pieces of a cut animal sheds great light on the covenant that was cut between God and Abraham in Genesis 15. God promised to give great provision and protection to Abraham. Abraham was willing to make the covenant so he set about to take a vow by cutting several animals into pieces. Before he could take the self-maledictory oath, he fell into a deep sleep or trance during which time the Lord spoke to him and appeared to him in the form of a burning fire. The heavenly form walked the pathway that Abraham was supposed to walk; the supernatural appearance of God passed between the dismembered animals.
God took the self-maledictory oath in Abraham’s stead. God promised Abraham that the penalties of a broken covenant would be placed upon another – a heavenly other – rather than upon Abraham and his seed. God was foretelling His covenant partner that the death penalty of the self-maledictory oath would be paid by the One God would send. New Testament believers understand that the great enactment between God and Abraham was foretelling the coming of Jesus Christ and his substitutional death on Calvary where he bore the death sentence due to all covenant partners who failed to live up to all the terms of God’s holy covenant.
God offered an everlasting covenant to His called out ones. Covenant partners throughout the pages of scripture failed to keep the terms; failed to ratify. God mercifully paid the due penalty through the death of His Son and the blood of the everlasting covenant (Heb. 13:20). However, being forgiven and free of the charge is not the same thing as receiving the exchange of assets that were promised in the covenant. For that to occur, the covenant must be ratified. Someone must faithfully live out the terms. Jesus did that. Jesus always did those things which pleased the Father (Jn. 8:29). Jesus only did what he saw His Father do (Jn. 5:19). Jesus brought glory and honor to His Father (Jn. 17:4). Jesus fulfilled all the requirements to inherit the promised blessings. Jesus ratified the covenant.
God the Father offered the covenant. God the Son secured the covenant. The provisions, blessings, and promises were transferred. Jesus is the heir. Those who believe in Christ and who, by faith, become part of Christ’s family, His body, His church are offered the privilege of becoming joint-heirs (Rom. 8:17). Believers share in the ratified covenant that Jesus secured. The covenant between the Father and the Son is the Everlasting Covenant that cannot be dissolved, be suspended, or vanish away. It is everlasting! It is unfailing! It is secure! How that everlasting covenant affects the earth will be the topic of next week’s article.
A covenant is an agreement between two parties. One party offers the covenant, which includes the assets that will be exchanged and the terms that must be met before the transfer can be completed. The second party accepts the covenantal terms by means of a pledge or a vow. Once both parties agree, the covenant is cut.
Full exchange of the promised provisions requires faithfulness by both parties. Modern day contracts usually include signed, notarized, and registered paperwork that carries legal ramifications to either party who defaults. In simpler days, a man’s handshake was often considered his vow. If he promised to be faithful to the terms, his covenant partner would trust him to keep his word. Whether by paper or promise, a vow was always part of the cutting of a covenant.
During biblical days, the vow was often acted out. In Jeremiah 34:13-20, God pronounced a judgment against Israel for not keeping the terms of the covenant that she accepted when she “cut the calf in half and passed between the parts of it” (verse 18). Why did the Israelites walk between the dismembered animal? The deed was a visible testimony of the vow the nation was making. They were stating that they were volunteering to place themselves under negative sanctions, which could include their own death, should they fail to keep the terms that God required of them when He offered them the covenant. In essence, they were saying, “Be it unto us as this animal should we default on our pledge.” The vow was called a self-maledictory oath, meaning to call down maledictions or judgment upon oneself. This practice of calling maledictions continues today. For example, a man buying any item on credit promises to fulfill the contract terms by paying a set amount at a set time and also promises to take the penalties (maledictory oath) if he should fail to keep the terms.
Understanding this practice of acting out the vow by walking between the pieces of a cut animal sheds great light on the covenant that was cut between God and Abraham in Genesis 15. God promised to give great provision and protection to Abraham. Abraham was willing to make the covenant so he set about to take a vow by cutting several animals into pieces. Before he could take the self-maledictory oath, he fell into a deep sleep or trance during which time the Lord spoke to him and appeared to him in the form of a burning fire. The heavenly form walked the pathway that Abraham was supposed to walk; the supernatural appearance of God passed between the dismembered animals.
God took the self-maledictory oath in Abraham’s stead. God promised Abraham that the penalties of a broken covenant would be placed upon another – a heavenly other – rather than upon Abraham and his seed. God was foretelling His covenant partner that the death penalty of the self-maledictory oath would be paid by the One God would send. New Testament believers understand that the great enactment between God and Abraham was foretelling the coming of Jesus Christ and his substitutional death on Calvary where he bore the death sentence due to all covenant partners who failed to live up to all the terms of God’s holy covenant.
God offered an everlasting covenant to His called out ones. Covenant partners throughout the pages of scripture failed to keep the terms; failed to ratify. God mercifully paid the due penalty through the death of His Son and the blood of the everlasting covenant (Heb. 13:20). However, being forgiven and free of the charge is not the same thing as receiving the exchange of assets that were promised in the covenant. For that to occur, the covenant must be ratified. Someone must faithfully live out the terms. Jesus did that. Jesus always did those things which pleased the Father (Jn. 8:29). Jesus only did what he saw His Father do (Jn. 5:19). Jesus brought glory and honor to His Father (Jn. 17:4). Jesus fulfilled all the requirements to inherit the promised blessings. Jesus ratified the covenant.
God the Father offered the covenant. God the Son secured the covenant. The provisions, blessings, and promises were transferred. Jesus is the heir. Those who believe in Christ and who, by faith, become part of Christ’s family, His body, His church are offered the privilege of becoming joint-heirs (Rom. 8:17). Believers share in the ratified covenant that Jesus secured. The covenant between the Father and the Son is the Everlasting Covenant that cannot be dissolved, be suspended, or vanish away. It is everlasting! It is unfailing! It is secure! How that everlasting covenant affects the earth will be the topic of next week’s article.
God's Everlasting Covenant by Dr. Patti Amsden
God made great promises to Adam: his nature was like that of God’s; his fellowship with the Father would be uninterrupted; the earth with which he would labor would yield abundance; the life that he would live would be fulfilling and eternal. What awesome promises! What an amazing invitation! Once could say that the covenant that God extended to Adam met every dream of the human heart for love and purpose.
God's side of the covenant was flawless. All Adam needed to do was to accept the promise and fulfill the terms of the agreement. The terms were not too difficult. He was told that he could not eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. If he would live up to the stipulations, he would ratify the agreement and secure the promised blessings. Because covenants are cut between two parties, both parties have to be faithful to the terms in order to finalize the contract and guarantee that the exchange is completed. Adam did not keep his end of the deal. He ate. He was unfaithful. He did not ratify the covenant.
Rather than agreeing with the terms that God set forth, Adam agreed with the terms that the serpent offered. One could say that Adam cut a covenant with the serpent. As soon as Adam came into agreement with the counter-covenant, God showed up to announce that the Adamic/Satanic contract had an expiration date. It would only continue until a time in the future when a man would be born of a woman. That Promised One would dismantle Adam’s agreement, crush all authority of the serpent’s contract with humanity, and ratify God’s promised covenant with mankind (Gen.3:15). God was forecasting that every covenant that man attempted to cut with any god other that the Most High God would have a shelf life.
The devil believed that he was on borrowed time. He did not doubt that God had the power to live up to every term or every promise that He made. God’s side of the covenant was secure because of the immutability and power of God. The serpent feared the coming of the Promised Seed that would be able to faithfully live under God’s terms and, therefore, be able to ratify God’s eternal covenant. If the serpent could destroy the seed, he could keep his position. He attempted to do that through prompting genocides and trying to eradicate whole generations that might produce that Promised Man, like the slaughters under Pharaoh in Moses’ day and the massacres under Herod in Jesus’ day. The devil also targeted the men that God called out to offer covenants. Much like he did with Adam, the devil used lies, schemes, and temptations in attempts to cause the potential covenant-ratifiers to sin and be unfaithful to God. Every time his evil attempts succeeded and God’s man failed to ratify, the dying covenant seemed to be able to thrive just a little longer.
Many faithful patriarchs in the Bible were unable to live without sin but God still kept forecasting that His eternal covenant was still being offered and would be fulfilled. God promised an everlasting covenant to Noah (Gen. 9:16), Abraham (Gen. 17:7,13,19), to Isaac and Jacob (I Chron. 16:7; Ps. 105:8-10), to Israel (Is. 61:8; Ez. 16:58-60), to David (2 Sam. 23:5). God repeatedly declared that other covenants would come to an end but that His promised covenant would endure for a thousand generations (Ex. 20:5-6; Ex. 34:7; Deut. 5:9-10; Deut. 7:9; I Chron. 16:15). Then, the day arrived when Jesus was born. He was fashioned in the womb of Mary but was the only begotten of the Father. He lived without sin. He lived faithfully to all that God required. He, alone, was able to secure the promises contained in God’s everlasting covenant. God the Father offered and God the Son met the terms of the everlasting covenant. In Christ, the only covenant that would never expire was permanently fixed and the promises guaranteed. In Christ, the Adamic/Satanic covenant expired. Discover more about that everlasting covenant and the blood that secured it in next week’s article.
God made great promises to Adam: his nature was like that of God’s; his fellowship with the Father would be uninterrupted; the earth with which he would labor would yield abundance; the life that he would live would be fulfilling and eternal. What awesome promises! What an amazing invitation! Once could say that the covenant that God extended to Adam met every dream of the human heart for love and purpose.
God's side of the covenant was flawless. All Adam needed to do was to accept the promise and fulfill the terms of the agreement. The terms were not too difficult. He was told that he could not eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. If he would live up to the stipulations, he would ratify the agreement and secure the promised blessings. Because covenants are cut between two parties, both parties have to be faithful to the terms in order to finalize the contract and guarantee that the exchange is completed. Adam did not keep his end of the deal. He ate. He was unfaithful. He did not ratify the covenant.
Rather than agreeing with the terms that God set forth, Adam agreed with the terms that the serpent offered. One could say that Adam cut a covenant with the serpent. As soon as Adam came into agreement with the counter-covenant, God showed up to announce that the Adamic/Satanic contract had an expiration date. It would only continue until a time in the future when a man would be born of a woman. That Promised One would dismantle Adam’s agreement, crush all authority of the serpent’s contract with humanity, and ratify God’s promised covenant with mankind (Gen.3:15). God was forecasting that every covenant that man attempted to cut with any god other that the Most High God would have a shelf life.
The devil believed that he was on borrowed time. He did not doubt that God had the power to live up to every term or every promise that He made. God’s side of the covenant was secure because of the immutability and power of God. The serpent feared the coming of the Promised Seed that would be able to faithfully live under God’s terms and, therefore, be able to ratify God’s eternal covenant. If the serpent could destroy the seed, he could keep his position. He attempted to do that through prompting genocides and trying to eradicate whole generations that might produce that Promised Man, like the slaughters under Pharaoh in Moses’ day and the massacres under Herod in Jesus’ day. The devil also targeted the men that God called out to offer covenants. Much like he did with Adam, the devil used lies, schemes, and temptations in attempts to cause the potential covenant-ratifiers to sin and be unfaithful to God. Every time his evil attempts succeeded and God’s man failed to ratify, the dying covenant seemed to be able to thrive just a little longer.
Many faithful patriarchs in the Bible were unable to live without sin but God still kept forecasting that His eternal covenant was still being offered and would be fulfilled. God promised an everlasting covenant to Noah (Gen. 9:16), Abraham (Gen. 17:7,13,19), to Isaac and Jacob (I Chron. 16:7; Ps. 105:8-10), to Israel (Is. 61:8; Ez. 16:58-60), to David (2 Sam. 23:5). God repeatedly declared that other covenants would come to an end but that His promised covenant would endure for a thousand generations (Ex. 20:5-6; Ex. 34:7; Deut. 5:9-10; Deut. 7:9; I Chron. 16:15). Then, the day arrived when Jesus was born. He was fashioned in the womb of Mary but was the only begotten of the Father. He lived without sin. He lived faithfully to all that God required. He, alone, was able to secure the promises contained in God’s everlasting covenant. God the Father offered and God the Son met the terms of the everlasting covenant. In Christ, the only covenant that would never expire was permanently fixed and the promises guaranteed. In Christ, the Adamic/Satanic covenant expired. Discover more about that everlasting covenant and the blood that secured it in next week’s article.
The Nature of Covenant by Dr. Patti Amsden
God not only created man for fellowship but commissioned man to steward God’s creation as a vice-regent and co-laborer with God. Both aspects required a covenant, or a legal and moral bond between the Creator and humanity. Because God is eternal, omniscience, omnipotent, and omnipresent and man has a beginning and limitations, the relationship between the Father and his sons could not be that of shared being. Although scripture declares that God made man “in His image and after His likeness” (Gen.1:26), humanity is but a reflection of some of God’s attributes but not all of them. Man cannot share in God’s nature. Therefore, fellowship is not based on sameness, equality, or uniformity. Fellowship and relationship with God is based upon covenant. People relate to the Father within the parameters that God has determined. That relationship is life-giving, love-furnishing, value-imparting, and inheritance-bequeathing. It satisfies all the longings of the soul and meets all the deepest needs of the heart. It is Father –Son. But, it is not shared being; it is covenantal.
Man is also commissioned or mandated to work for God and with God. God owns and man stewards. God gives purpose to all He has created and defines the terms of management based upon those purposes. Man receives knowledge, instructions, and directions from God and implements God’s will over all the created order. One could say that man works for God. God is the boss; man is the worker. Although this brief description tends to oversimplify the responsibility of man in his stewardship of the earth, the point is made that work is covenantal. God offers a contract. Man goes to work. God pays benefits or wages for services rendered. The mandate to take dominion is covenantal.
Because both relationship and labor are presented in terms of covenant, there are stipulations or rules. To disobey the ethics or the terms of interpersonal relationships means that the relationship suffers and runs the risk of being broken or annulled. To fail to service the earth or to abuse the earth causes destruction of property and might result in the loss or forfeiture of the job. Unfaithful stewards can be fired. Covenant breaches carry penalties.
Covenants are cut or created at all levels of societies. Almost all business transactions are a form of a covenant. Parties agree as to their relationships, for example – one is a buyer and another is a seller; and then they define the way they will work together, for example – one may labor as the manufacturer and the other may toil as the distributor. Business covenants can be voided if either party breaks the terms of the contract. They can also be cancelled because they come to an end of the designated job or the length of time that the agreement was set to last. It could be said that business contracts have a shelf-life or an expiration date.
Families are covenantal. Persons in the family interact with each other based upon their relationship. For example, the father’s role differs from the mother’s and both of those functions differ from the children’s. Families not only enjoy relationship, but they also work together to steward the family’s private assets. The covenant of marriage can be annulled if either of the parties are unfaithful or at the death of either of the spouses. The covenant with the children is redefined when the child matures and leaves the home to establish his or her own household. It could be said that family covenants have a shelf-life or an expiration date.
God’s covenant is distinctly unique. It doesn’t expire. It may morph or adapt for a new season. It may fire some stewards and hire new ones. But, His covenant carries a promise to be everlasting. The nature of his everlasting covenant will be compared to lesser covenant with expiration dates in next week’s article.
God not only created man for fellowship but commissioned man to steward God’s creation as a vice-regent and co-laborer with God. Both aspects required a covenant, or a legal and moral bond between the Creator and humanity. Because God is eternal, omniscience, omnipotent, and omnipresent and man has a beginning and limitations, the relationship between the Father and his sons could not be that of shared being. Although scripture declares that God made man “in His image and after His likeness” (Gen.1:26), humanity is but a reflection of some of God’s attributes but not all of them. Man cannot share in God’s nature. Therefore, fellowship is not based on sameness, equality, or uniformity. Fellowship and relationship with God is based upon covenant. People relate to the Father within the parameters that God has determined. That relationship is life-giving, love-furnishing, value-imparting, and inheritance-bequeathing. It satisfies all the longings of the soul and meets all the deepest needs of the heart. It is Father –Son. But, it is not shared being; it is covenantal.
Man is also commissioned or mandated to work for God and with God. God owns and man stewards. God gives purpose to all He has created and defines the terms of management based upon those purposes. Man receives knowledge, instructions, and directions from God and implements God’s will over all the created order. One could say that man works for God. God is the boss; man is the worker. Although this brief description tends to oversimplify the responsibility of man in his stewardship of the earth, the point is made that work is covenantal. God offers a contract. Man goes to work. God pays benefits or wages for services rendered. The mandate to take dominion is covenantal.
Because both relationship and labor are presented in terms of covenant, there are stipulations or rules. To disobey the ethics or the terms of interpersonal relationships means that the relationship suffers and runs the risk of being broken or annulled. To fail to service the earth or to abuse the earth causes destruction of property and might result in the loss or forfeiture of the job. Unfaithful stewards can be fired. Covenant breaches carry penalties.
Covenants are cut or created at all levels of societies. Almost all business transactions are a form of a covenant. Parties agree as to their relationships, for example – one is a buyer and another is a seller; and then they define the way they will work together, for example – one may labor as the manufacturer and the other may toil as the distributor. Business covenants can be voided if either party breaks the terms of the contract. They can also be cancelled because they come to an end of the designated job or the length of time that the agreement was set to last. It could be said that business contracts have a shelf-life or an expiration date.
Families are covenantal. Persons in the family interact with each other based upon their relationship. For example, the father’s role differs from the mother’s and both of those functions differ from the children’s. Families not only enjoy relationship, but they also work together to steward the family’s private assets. The covenant of marriage can be annulled if either of the parties are unfaithful or at the death of either of the spouses. The covenant with the children is redefined when the child matures and leaves the home to establish his or her own household. It could be said that family covenants have a shelf-life or an expiration date.
God’s covenant is distinctly unique. It doesn’t expire. It may morph or adapt for a new season. It may fire some stewards and hire new ones. But, His covenant carries a promise to be everlasting. The nature of his everlasting covenant will be compared to lesser covenant with expiration dates in next week’s article.
