Has an experience you’ve had ever resulted in you establishing rules or social contracts with others? I can’t recall details of any situation at the moment, but I remember using the words, ‘never again’, although I would sometimes fail to honour that vow.
In the biblical context, those social contacts were called covenants. There are several examples in Genesis, of God covenanting with chosen individuals. YHWH then covenanted with the Children of Israel following their bitter water experience. What did it entail, and was it reasonable? You’re welcome to decide as you consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
Exodus 15:25-26 AFV
[25] And he cried to the Lord. And the Lord showed him a tree. And when he had cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a decree and a law for them, and there He proved them.
[26] And he said, “If you will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, and will do that which is right in His sight, and will give ear to His commandments, and keep all His laws, I will put none of these diseases upon you, which I have brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord Who heals you.”
Covenanting God
A covenant is a social contract or a conditional agreement between two or more parties. In many instances, the parties in the covenant do not possess equal levels of power. One infers therefore (since scholars have not explicitly stated such) that the covenant is likely to be established by the powerful. And the main purpose would be to set terms of engagement. I refer to covenants as conditional, because there were consequences for breaking them.
In each covenant relationship that YHWH established, there was definitely a power imbalance. God was infinitely more powerful than God’s chosen, yet God never once abused God’s power. Neither did God establish covenants to the detriment of humans.
Point to Ponder
Have we ever been caught in covenants which allowed for the abuse of power?
Digging Deeper
The Children of Israel were already inheriting the benefits of various covenants YHWH made with the patriarchs. In this covenant however, God held the collective community accountable for individual and communal actions. There are several clauses to God’s covenant, and we will reflect on each later.
Siblings, life comes with choices. God affords each of us the blessing of free will. Our choices all have consequences. Although God healed and forgave the Children of Israel, God also opted to hold individuals accountable. As stated in the introduction to our Nougat, this covenant was effected in response to the bitter waters of Marah.
What if Y’shua held us accountable for our every action? Actually, we are. For those of us who confirmed and confessed our faith in Y’shua, we entered into a covenant with God. It is important that, as believers, we honour that covenant.
Might we make the time for a Self-Check to reaffirm our covenants and seek forgiveness where we’ve been in breach?
Self-Check
Use Psalm 139:23-24 as our prayer template for confession and covenant renewal.
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May all we seek be found in Christ
