The Lord's Everlasting Covenant

 

 

 

Ezekiel 16:59-63

 

 November 30, 2023

 

The Lord's Everlasting Covenant

“For thus says the Lord God: I will deal with you as you have done, you who have despised the oath in breaking the covenant, yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant. Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you take your sisters, both your elder and your younger, and I give them to you as daughters, but not on account of the covenant with you.  I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the Lord, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord God.”

One must have an understanding of an oath or covenant!  The dictionary gives this definition of an oath: a solemn promise, often invoking a divine witness, regarding one's future action or behavior.  Whereas a covenant is defined in this way: And a Covenant in this manner:  Theology is an agreement which 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. 

 

The internet had this to say on the different, between an Oath and a Covenant:  An oath is a solemn, often one-sided promise or declaration, invoking a higher power as witness (like a presidential oath of office), while a covenant is a sacred, binding two-way agreement between parties, involving mutual promises, commitments, and blessings, like marriage or God's covenants with humanity.

 

But God also tells of an Eternal Covenant, I believe this quote from the internet handles the subject very well: “The everlasting covenant in the Bible refers to God's enduring promises and agreements with humanity, notably seen in Noah's covenant (never another flood) that covers the whole world and Abraham's covenant (land, descendants, blessing), often considered the foundation for the later "new and everlasting covenant" in Jesus Christ, which promises eternal life and salvation through faith, a covenant established by God before creation and fulfilled through Christ's sacrifice. It signifies God's unchanging faithfulness and His plan for redemption, encompassing all people and revealed in different dispensations, but ultimately centered on the grace found in Jesus.” 

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice