Vows & Covenants

Genesis 9:9-17

“Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth.  I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

How important is a covenant to you?   Before you answer, may I ask one more question, how important is a covenant to those of us who go by the name of Jesus Christ?  Maybe we should define covenant before we try to answer the questions above.  Covenant: an agreement.

• Theology an agreement that brings about a relationship of commitment between God and his people. The Jewish faith is based on the biblical covenants made with Abraham, Moses, and David.  We also have an Old Covenant Christian Theology, the covenant between God and Israel in the Old Testament, and the New Covenant Christian Theology, the covenant between God and the followers of Jesus Christ.

It has been rightly stated that our God is a Covenant God, and yet Isaiah 24:5, tells us that we as a people are transgressors of the laws, and have violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant with our God.  I am so thankful that God is merciful and good, and He has stated; “For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”  That was the Old Covenant, but Jesus the Christ ushered in a New Covenant, it was the Covenant of His broken body and the pouring out of His blood, it was the requirement of a holy God so that He might see the blood of His precious Son and forgive our sins.  We have sinned, we have all broken vows, we are not Covenant keepers, we are Covenant breakers; King Solomon the wisest of men states in Ecclesiastes 5:4, “When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools.  Pay what you vow.”

Dear Father, often I’ve been a fool, I have broken your commands, I made vows to you and have not followed through, I have been a promise breaker and not a promise keeper, and I’ve brought shame on your holy name.  Although, covered by the blood of Jesus, my actions have caused your Holy Spirit to grieve, my sins have broken our fellowship, and the cry of my heart is for your forgiveness, the return of our fellowship.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice