2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The Lord leads me to continue sharing background on covenants from the Scriptures and from M.G. Kline’s “By Oath Consigned” this morning. I never enjoy writing about the negative aspects of a subject, but know that it is part of my responsibility to God. I’m sure that Kline felt the same way when he felt compelled to write about the consequences of breaking covenants with God. These consequences need never be a problem for those who keep God’s commandments, but they must be examined in an effort to motivate each of us to remain obedient to the Lord.
The OT prophets frequently indicted people for breaking their covenants with God. This is often done by relating their behavior to the ideal pattern set up in the covenant to which they are a party. Heaven and earth are called to witness this indictment. The following citations are examples. IS 1: 2-3, “The Lord said, ‘Earth and sky, listen to what I am saying! The children I brought up have rebelled against Me. Cattle know who owes them, and donkeys know where their master feeds them. But that is more than My people Israel know. They do not understand at all.’” More of God’s indictment continues in (10-20) which I hope you will read. The people of Israel are admonished to listen, pay attention to what God is teaching. God is frustrated with their animal sacrifices which are not accompanied by pure hearts willing to repent. God indicts them for their sins, hypocrisy, oppression, refusal to care for widows and orphans, and disrespectful disobedience. IS 1: 18-20 reveals both God’s willingness to forgive if repentance happens and the dire consequences to the people ignoring Him. “The Lord says, ‘Now, let us settle the matter. You are stained red with sin, but I will wash you as clean as snow. Although your stains are deep red, you will be as white as wool. If you will only obey Me, you will eat the good things the land produces. But if you defy Me, you are doomed to die. I, the Lord, have spoken.’”
JER 2: 4-12 contains God’s indictment of the people who disobeyed Him through the prophet Jeremiah. Israel had been worshipping worthless idols and had become worthless (5). In spite of the fact that God had brought them out of Egypt, led them through the wilderness protecting and providing for them, and brought them to a fertile land, Israel was defiling the land He had given them. God’s own priests didn’t know Him, prophets spoke in the name of Baal and worshipped useless idols, and rulers rebelled against God (6-8). God goes on to say that He will bring charges against Israel’s descendants in (9). His statement in JER 1: 11 is most revealing, “No other nation ever changed its gods, even though they were not real. But My people have exchanged Me, the God Who has brought them honor, for gods that can do nothing for them.” As I was reading this last verse, I was reminded of Paul’s words in RO 1: 25, “They exchange the truth about God for a lie; they worship and serve what God has created instead of the Creator Himself, Who is to be praised forever! Amen.” Note the consistency of these indictments.
Some of the same kind of indictments from God are spoken by the prophet Micah in Micah 6: 1-8, which I hope you will read. Micah 6: 8, “No, the Lord has told us what is good. What He requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God.” This issue of acting in love is nothing new in the mind of God or in His instructions to the people. Take the time to examine these citations to see how long this consistent message has been given to believers: LV 19: 18; RO 13: 9-10; and 1 COR 13: 2. I’m sure these are not the only places in the Scriptures where this teaching can be found. Another repetition of indictments worth our time is found in PS 50: 1-23, “True Worship,” which I hope you will take the time to read. Contained in it, you will see the listing of covenant-breaking offenses along with God’s compassionate offer to save the people if they will praise Him in verse 15.
As I mentioned above, it is necessary for a responsible believer to revisit these indictments from time to time to be reminded of the need to continue being obedient to God. He must understand what God deems to be disobedience and that there are horrific consequences for continuing sinful behavior. This is akin to my own pain when God leads me to revisit the story of the Holocaust from time to time. While I don’t view the Holocaust as punishment for Jewish disobedience, it reminds me how blessed I am that the fate of that part of my family who died in it hasn’t happened to me. It also reminds me that while painful, the stories of negative events like the Holocaust and these indictments must be retold, so that their lessons won’t be missed.
PRAYER: O Lord, Your patience and compassion is richly demonstrated in the citations mentioned above. You do not indict sin to do evil or to make mankind miserable. Instead, You do it to bring about a spiritual mid-course correction in their lives that will lead them to eternal life. How frustrated and pained You must feel when people ignore Your warnings that they are breaking their covenants with You and reject You! Over the course of history, some people living a life of sin have been brought back into Your light. We praise You for Your effort to relate stories such as these in the Scriptures, so that those who are open to repentance will act on that and those who are living “in Christ” will be motivated to continue doing so. We acknowledge our need to revisit painful stories like these from time to time and our responsibility to make sure that their value lessons are not forgotten. While Your need to demonstrate Your righteousness often leads You to wrath, Your anger is never unaccompanied by compassion, patience, and justice. We humbly approach You today to offer You our worship, adoration, loyalty, trust, obedience, honor, glory, praise, and thanks for being the wonderful and loving God that You are. You are truly the Leader of our lives. In Christ’s holy name, we pray. Amen.
Tomorrow, I am led to write one more message from the Scriptures and “By Oath Consigned” that deals with the Priestly Covenant. The story of that one is rich with important lessons for each of us. Even when the Lord is angry with sinners, He is a God of love. He is eager to see people come to repentance and to reward that with all of His blessings. He knows that it cannot be remorse without faith, like that which Judas Iscariot had. Instead, He wants us to understand the value of repentance, confession, and faithfulness, so that He can make His dream come true that we will one day enjoy eternity with Him in heaven. God loves you and so do Peter and I.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn