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God Made A Covenant - Jeremiah 10 to 13
God Made A Covenant - Jeremiah 10 to 13
God is a God of covenants! We are accustomed to speak only of the "new covenant' and the 'old covenant'. God chose to deal with men by way of covenant. God made covenants with Noah, Abraham, Israel, and now us.
Such covenants were NOT just agreements, nor were they 'contracts'. Such agreements and contracts are normally 'negotiable'. God's covenant could more readily be compared to a 'surrender treaty'. God, the ruler, creator, and eternal king, makes it. He makes all the stipulations. He offers to provide various benefits but demands certain things of those who would accept such a covenant. They CAN choose to refuse, but they then must answer unto the wrath of God.
God had made such a covenant with Israel when Moses brought them out of Egypt (Jer. 11:4). Generation after generation entered into this covenant. God has been faithful in His keeping such covenant. The majority of Israel has been unfaithful: "Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked, each one, in the stubbornness of his evil heart; therefore I brought on them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not” (11:8).
Part of the covenant that God made with Israel included the provisions of God's wrath for such disobedience! (reread Deut. 28-30). NOW, having broken the covenant, the people have come to face the wrath of God. They would be destroyed from off the good land.
Yet, God would be faithful to His plan and purpose that He has revealed. He would yet bring the promised Messiah through Abraham to bless all nations. He would yet set a descendant of David upon an eternal throne to rule over all the earth. He would yet redeem His people and provide a NEW COVENANT (cp. Jer. 31:31-34 and Hebrews). This He did in Jesus.
When we become Christians, we enter into this new covenant. Here, God again promises to provide blessings and demands obedience and faithfulness. This covenant was sealed with the very blood of Jesus: "And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins" (Matt. 26:27-28). Here we died to self and were raised to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6). Here we come together on the first day of the week and take of the Lord's supper which speaks of the blood and body of Jesus given for us (Acts 20:27, 1 Cor. 11). Here we remind ourselves that we belong to Him and not to self.
Are you being faithful to this new covenant?
Hugh DeLong
