Covenant

Have you ever taken an oath? Was it an oath in court? Was it an oath to enter the military? Have you entered into a covenant? Was it a covenant of marriage? Was it a business contract? Have you made a covenant to obey God?

We swear oaths in many different settings. It may be an oath of friendship. We are required to swear an oath when we testify in court. I have sworn an oath to join the military and reiterated it when reenlisting or being promoted. Even the boy and girl scouts make an oath.

We do not often think of covenants today, but they are really the same as a contract. Each side promises something. When we recite marriage vows, we make a covenant with our spouse. When a contract is signed, both parties are promising to do something for the other. Usually, one party is performing a service and the other is paying for the service.

The Israelites accepted God’s covenant under Joshua. They promised to obey and serve God. By doing so, Joshua told them they must give up foreign gods, those gods they had either acquired or knew about from other peoples. They were to worship only God.

When we are baptized, we are entering into covenant with God. We not only accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, but we also promise to obey God’s commands. Jesus has already paid the price for us, and God has already made promises for us. We are accepting God’s grace, mercy, and commands. But much like any contract we make during our life, we are to take our covenant with God seriously, for God certainly takes it seriously.

I pray we all accept the covenant with God. I pray we take our covenant with God seriously. I pray each one of us will accept God’s grace and mercy and obey his commands. Accept God’s covenant. Understand his covenant. Take your covenant with God seriously. Obey God’s commands.

Joshua 24:34-35 He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” The people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and him we will obey.”