Posted by Chester Morton / Thursday 19 January 2017 / No comments
The new covenant between God and Israel
According to God as he spoke through his prophet Jeremiah, he
was going to have a new covenant with Israel and Judah. This new
covenant, according to God was not going to be like the first one that he made
with their fathers when he brought them out of Egypt. A covenant they broke,
anyway though he was their Lord.
God said under this new covenant, he wanted to put the law inside
the people by writing it on their hearts. He would be their God and they would
be his people.
Under this new covenant, nobody would teach the other to know
God, rather, from the least person to the greatest person, they shall know the
Lord, because he would forgive their sins and would remember their sins no more.
God promised, under the new covenant, to bring all the people
of Israel back from every corner that he had driven them to, to Jerusalem so
that they may live in safety. God again stressed that he would be their God and
they will be his people.
God also said he would give them one heart so that they may
fear him forever so that it shall be well with them and their descendants. The
new covenant would be everlasting and God said he would not stop doing good to
them and that he would rejoice in doing so. He would put the fear of the Lord in
them so that they may not turn away from him.
Through prophet Ezekiel, God promised to sprinkle water on
the people so that they shall be cleansed from all their unrighteousness and all the
dirt brought about by idol worship. He promised to give the people a new heart
and also put a new spirit in them to replace the heart of stone that was in
them. He would give the people his spirit and make them obey all his laws and
statutes. They shall dwell in the land he gave to his fathers and he would be
their God and they would be his people.
THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN ABRAHAM’S COVENANT WITH GOD AND THE NEW COVENANT
The initiator
One of the similarities between the new covenant and the
covenant between Abraham and God was that the two were initiated by God himself.
The whole idea was based on his authority.
The relationship
The second similarity between Abraham’s covenant with God and
the new covenant was that it was established between a superior and a
subordinate. The parties to the covenant were not equal in power and stature.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ABRAHAM’S COVENANT WITH GOD AND THE NEW COVENANT
Symbolism
One of the differences between Abraham’s covenant with God
and the new covenant was that, the one with Abraham was sealed with the act of
circumcision and the new covenant was based on the internal conviction of the
people.
Uniqueness and universalism
Another difference between Abraham’s covenant with God and
the new covenant was that the one with Abraham was related to Israel alone but
the new covenant was designed to be universal, that is, for all the nations of
the world.
Divine forgiveness and sacrifices in exchange for forgiveness
The covenant with Abraham was based on the act of sacrificing
to obtain pardon but the new covenant was based on divine forgiveness from God
without any further sacrifice.
WHAT MAY HAPPEN WHEN A
COVENANT IS VIOLATED
Withdrawal of protection
One of the things that may occur when a covenant is broken is
that the entity with which the covenant is made, may withdraw its protective cover
and one may be exposed to calamities.
Strained relationship
Another consequence of breach of a covenant is that the
original relationship that existed between the two parties to the covenant would be
broken and may take a lot of effort to bring back to normal.
Bitterness develops
Another product of breaking a covenant is that the two
parties start to develop bitterness toward each other and this stems from the
hurt they may be feeling inside.
Anger
Breaching a covenant may incur the extreme anger of the
partners toward each other. Usually, it is the more superior in the covenant
whose wrath is incurred by the weaker person in the covenant.
May lead to sickness or even death
One party to the covenant may fall sick as a result of
breaking the covenant. It may even lead to the death of the party. Many times,
it is the weakling in the covenant who is likely to experience sickness or
death.
HOW IMPORTANT ARE
COVENANTS TODAY?
Attracts blessings
Christians have testified that when they kept their part of
the covenant with their God, they received abundant blessings. People of other
faiths too have confessed of abundant blessings from their object of worship.
People who dabble in rituals have also been temporarily blessed by their
deities.
Ensures continuous relationship
Today, covenants are significant because it ensures that the
parties to the covenant enjoy a peaceful relationship with each other. For
Christians, it enables them to become a part of the salvation that was announced by
Jesus.
Keeping faith
It is also significant in the sense that it serves as a
reminder to the parties, especially, the weaker side, to keep faith with the
superior party.
Holds nations together
Covenants are important because they are able to hold a
nation together. In a democracy, the electorates vote for their leaders for
four years, or so, to lead them in a certain direction. Even if the leaders are not able
to fulfill their side of the bargain; the electorates just wait to remove them
at the next polls. The people keep their promise to keep them there for four
years. This ensures relative peace in many countries.
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
1. a. Describe the nature of the new covenant between God and
the people of Israel as prophesied by Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
b. Highlight three differences
between the new covenant and the covenant between Abraham and God.
2. a. Describe the nature of the new covenant between God and
the people of Israel as prophesied by Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
b. In which two
ways are the new and Abraham’s covenant with God similar?
