Covenant – A Divine Drama of Love
The Bible
is the story of covenant. It is a divine drama of love. The Scriptures describe
a passionate love story founded upon the fidelity of God and His desire to
present to Himself a beautifully adorned bride at the final consummation of all
things. This love language is expressed by Isaiah who describes God as
“husband” to his people whom He called “like a woman forsaken and grieved in
spirit, like a youthful wife” (Is. 54:5-6). The great prophet speaks of
salvation as the clothing of wedding garments with the “robe of righteousness”
as God’s covering for His people the same way a bridegroom and bride adorn
themselves for the wedding ceremony. Certainly the Song of Songs is a literal
description of a lovers and his beloved “fairest among women” (Songs 1:8) but
it is also a metaphor of beauty as we are reminded of the wooing love that God
has for His bride. As God created male and female in His own image we are
uncertain as to the precise meaning of the imago
dei but we can agree that it at least speaks of intimacy in relationship.
The Bible rises to an intimate climax of this relationship as God unites with
His bride in Revelation 21. As the holy city, the New Jerusalem, descends out
of heaven she is “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2). The
seven angels show John “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” (Rev. 21:9) in the rest of
the chapter and she is described as radiant beauty illumined as the splendor of
precious jewels. These vivid marital metaphors call us to embrace the Bible as
God’s love letter to His cherished people; a people on the journey to their
final consummation. It is a proposal to draw intimately near to the One who
loved them to a point of seeking and saving them at the greatest cost to
Himself.
Covenant
Between God and His People
Covenant
is the way God deals with His children. He covenantally pursues the first
rebellious couple and restores the relationship they had broken. The first
occurrence of the word “covenant” (Hb. berit)
is in Genesis 6 when God “establishes” His covenant with four couples who are
sealed with an ark. Even when they threaten the relationship, God keeps
it. He promises to keep His covenant
with Abraham and his future descendants who will be a tribe. Abraham fails but
God is faithful. The divine embrace will extend to 12 tribes and their trials
will reveal the fatherhood of God in His preservation of His family.
Progressively it will become evident that God’s New Testament (covenant) will
be ratified by the blood of His only begotten Son and will extend beyond all
boundaries to “every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9).
God
knows the infidelity of His people. He does not depend upon them for the
keeping of His covenant. This does not, however, remove them from the
responsibility of covenant faithfulness. Christ clothes His children with His
robe of righteousness but they must also “put on” Jesus Christ. God meets
Abraham in Genesis 15 to “cut” (Hb. carat)
a covenant. The Hebrew word “carat”
means “to cut off”. To cut a covenant is a distant concept for us to grasp but
contextual study reveals a variety of uses. It can refer to the cutting of the
foreskin, a cluster of grapes, or the head of a man. These uses remind us of
the obtaining of something in the process of cutting off but they only point us
to further investigation. The ancient Hittites spoke of cutting the palms of
the hands of two men and the blood bond made by shaking hands for a major
agreement. Some believe this illustrates the carat idea of covenant but most biblical scholars go further. The
cutting of a covenant involved the cutting of a sacrificial animal into two
parts as shown in Genesis 15. Abraham prepared the sacrifices by “cutting them
in two, down the middle” and presented them to God (Gen. 15:10). It is believed that the seriousness of the
life given in the sacrifice is a picture of what is being expressed and that
this symbolic act is saying, “may this be done to me if I violate this
covenant”. Interestingly enough, Abraham is in a deep sleep (vs. 12) as the
covenant ceremony takes place and it is God who walks between the two parts of
the sacrifice (vs. 17). Good news for us indeed! If the preservation of the
covenant was based upon Abraham’s faithfulness (or mine!) failure and death for
all would be certain. Perhaps this is why God “swore by Himself” in His promise
to Abraham (Heb. 6:18). There is no one greater by whom God could certify His
guarantee. Everyone knows a guarantee or warranty is only as good as the name
behind it. God’s name is sure. So God walks between the two parts of the
sacrifice and guarantees covenant preservation of His people. He is saying,
“May this grotesque picture of death and destruction be done to Me if I ever
violate this covenant”. He “swore by Himself” and “showed more abundantly to the
heirs of promise [that’s us!] the immutability of His counsel” (Heb. 6:17). He
reverses the death of Genesis 3 by the blood of the Lamb of God and nothing
“shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord” (Rom. 8:39).
Covenant
Not Contract
We use contracts to try and keep
each other honest. Yet, we still need judges and attorneys and codified laws.
Contracts are helpful tools but a covenant goes deeper. A contract involves the
exchange of property and its binding power depends upon the integrity of the
people who make it. A covenant involves the exchange of persons and its binding
power rests in the character of God. Contracts desire profits and are a legal
instrument to fulfill the desire. Covenant desires love and is a sacred union
to complete the affection. A person seeks to preserve himself and his rights in
a contract while Jesus uses covenant to preserve His blood-bought children.
Contracts can be broken. Covenants can be violated but not broken. The
sacrifice of love in divine covenant assures us that God has obligated Himself
to reconcile those who are His.
To
be in covenant with God is to be in covenant with the permanent and immutable
“Ancient of Days…who was, and is, and is to come” and who has promised “to
never leave us nor forsake us” (Heb. 13:5). It is the immutability of God which
brings us to irrevocability of his covenant. Isaiah spoke of a coming day in
which God would, according to His covenant, “take away the sin of Jacob” (Is.
27:9). After all the generations of Jacob (Israel) straying from their God, we
find He is still fighting to preserve His covenant. Paul applies this to the
people of God in Romans 11:28. He says, “all Israel will be saved…concerning
the election…they are beloved…for the gifts and the calling are irrevocable”.
The “spoken out ones” of election have God’s irrevocable call upon them which
is a divinely non-regrettable and non-repentant call. To break this calling and
election would be to break the unbreakable God. This is why all of the true
Israel of God will be saved. The covenant-keeping God cannot be broken and
neither can the fulfillment of His promise to His people. God will always fight
to preserve His covenant.
Covenant in
the Family of God
Every good story contains conflict.
The divine drama of God’s love story is no different. Actually, it is the root
of all other good stories. This is the original. The struggle of Man versus
God, Man versus Man, Man versus self, and Man versus Nature are more than
literary devices. They are real and destructive problems which are overcome by
covenant. We need a covenantal mind to understand God’s working of history and
to discern the times in which we live. It is the strength and wisdom that comes
from our covenant enjoyment with God that will renew us for the fidelity
necessary in living out our other covenants. The first four of the Ten
Commandments point us to covenant with God before turning us to live at peace
with others. It is our love of God which comes from affectionately celebrating
His love for us that will then empower us to love others. It is this love that
we must teach to our covenant brothers and sisters. Covenant is a family
relationship.
How can we help others enjoy the
covenant love of God? First, we must serve others without any thought of
ourselves. The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve. So should we.
Paul dared not even to think of himself enough to pass judgment of himself (1
Cor. 4:3-4). I wonder if we are willing to consider the possibility that the
very self-saturated people with whom we become so frustrated are partially
indulging themselves because they see and hear us do the same. Covenant keepers
serve others, not themselves. How many of us have developed a sense of
entitlement to a paycheck or to be complimented or respected or spoken well of
or subtly think we deserve to live at a level comparable to others? Are we not
“the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things?” (1 Cor. 4:13) Did not
Jesus promise us a cross and baptism of His sufferings? Let us serve others no
matter the cost. Do not become a fleeing hireling but be a good under-shepherd
who lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11-12). Second, let us
demonstrate staying power. May we display the glorious love of covenant in our
churches by staying faithful to a local bride as long as we shall live. I know
God moves people to serve at different places and in different times but we
also know that many are blaming God for their infidelity as they move from
church to church. We are good at spiritualizing our desire to go somewhere
bigger of seemingly easier. Let us build where we are, no matter how hard it
is. I pray we are the generation of pastors willing to pay the price of our
lives in order to help in the restoration of Christ’s bride. May we be the
tools of faithful covenant love that He uses to “sanctify and cleanse her with
the washing of water by the word, the He might present her to Himself a
glorious church” (Eph. 5:26-27). Third, always be the initiator of
reconciliation. God pursued Adam and He pursues you. The culpability is always
ours in covenant with God and yet He is always the initiator of the
reconciliation. Too often we are concerned with proving we are right instead of
seeking peace with a deceived soul. How will they be turned away from their
dark deception if we are not willing to love them the way Christ loves us? Away
with the playground battles of who did what to me. God “has reconciled us to
Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation”
(2 Cor. 5:18). Fourth, model covenant integrity in marriage. Draw closer to
your wife. Break down the walls that both of you have built. Win her all over
again with words and acts of affectionate kindness. When other look at us with
our spouses, may they see a loving and respectful couple who enjoy Jesus
together. Laughter, prayer, joy, service, spiritual and physical intimacy, and
unity – These are the marks of covenant marriage. Jesus gave His life for His
bride, and we must follow Him. When the covenant is threatened, God goes to
work to preserve His bride. Threats from without and violations from within
only intensify God’s efforts to keep the promise He made to His wife. May our
wives know that with great passionate love we will do the same. Fifth,
celebrate covenant renewal in corporate worship. Each time we gather as a
church family we are renewing the covenant we have with one another.
Remembrance of the Lord’s Supper is to be an awakening in our spirit that
Christ ratified this divine covenant on our behalf. Each celebration of baptism
is a reminder of the covenant seal God has placed upon us as well as our daily
union with Christ. Lift up high the beauty of covenant with each presentation
of ourselves in the act of collective worship. Finally, be honest about your
covenant with God. The only reason I am still in covenant with God is that He
is faithful. I am a cheater, a fool who prostitutes my soul for lesser things.
As C.S. Lewis said, “we are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink
and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child
who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is
meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased”. Do
not be afraid to let your church people know they have another ignorant friend
sitting beside them in the slum making mud pies in their pastor. I do not mean
to tell everything, but be honest about struggling. People do not need details
about your mud pies but they do need you to be humble. Point them to the
covenant faithfulness of our loving God. Read to them the love letter the Holy
Spirit has sent His beloved family. Teach them in word and in deed the divine
drama of God’s passionate love story for His bride. To the glory of God the
Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
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