JANUARY 13 THE COVENANT

 The blessings of Abraham–and all of God's promises–are based upon a covenant relationship with God. A covenant is an agreement between two people that make promises to one another. The Hebrew word for covenant is b'rith, which means cutting.  Biblically, this refers to a custom in Old Testament times where two people making a covenant passed through the bodies of slain animals after making an agreement.

When one “cut covenant” in Old Testament times, it involved a statement of the terms of the agreement; an oath from each party; a curse upon whoever should break the agreement; and the sealing of the covenant by a blood sacrifice. Violation of such a covenant was considered a heinous act.

The truly remarkable thing is that God consented to enter into this amazing covenant with  mankind.  In the Old Testament, God made a covenant with Abraham and his seed, stated the terms, swore by Himself, and sealed the agreement with the blood of sacrificial animals.   In the New Testament, this covenant was reconfirmed  through the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ:

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.  (Ephesians 1:13-14) 

The Greek word for “covenant” used in the New Testament, means “a contract or a will.”  Simply stated, our covenant with God, is the title deed to our inheritance.  It is a legal, spiritually binding agreement between God and man.

When God called Abraham to leave his home and go to the Promised Land, He declared that He would make Abraham a great nation with many descendants.  In Genesis 15 Abraham questioned this promise because of his advanced age and childless condition, and the Lord reaffirmed it.  Abraham's response to God's promises is a model of believing faith: "And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness" (Genesis 15:6). 

Over the years, God has made many promises to you. Some promises are directly from His written Word.  Others may have been specific prophetic promises that are in line with Scriptures.  Do not question these.  Embrace them by faith.