Genesis 6:14-18

2006.Sep.05 20:40

I need to pause here, because this is something (although not to this magnitude) that God does to me, and I don’t respond very well to it. He says “Do this and do it this way”. And… And I want to know why. In fact, I want to hear what the problem is first and then enter into a polite discussion of the best possible solutions over some salsa and a Diet Coke. Sometimes he tells me why, sometimes not, but there’s often not the discussion involved. I don’t mean to imply this is the way God always reveals His will. Often He will let me know there’s a problem and expect me to seek out His answers. Which is usually when I’d prefer He would just well and tell me what to do. But that’s the point: Jehovah is willing to work out my faith and, among other things, that means I have to trust him to tell me what I need to know.

Okay, jumping back. Jehovah tells Noah what to do, reiterates his intent to commit “acts of God or nature” on his creation, and then says “I will establish My covenant with you” (17) to save Noah’s family from the flood. It’s a cycle repeated throughout the Bible, as God established a covenant requiring some physical act from the other party. The covenant with Abraham and circumcision, covenant with Israel and building of the tabernacle, Solomon’s temple and God’s covenant with David and his line, salvation covenant and baptism.

One of the things we must do in order to become the friends God desires is to cease live according to our flesh, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:6, NASB). Our physical needs and desires are a primary source of temptation to sin, because it is so easy to listen to them first and God later. And while Jesus continually demonstrated that, as believers, we should meet the physical needs of others before trying to show them the spiritual needs that God fulfills, once we know God’s truth, we must actively deny our flesh. To require a difficult action of the flesh to affirm a covenant is then quite understandable. When Jesus says that we must take up our cross (Matthew 16:24), its meaning includes that we are to take physical action to show, not to others, but to God, our willingness to be in covenant with him.

Genesis 21:22-34

2007.Nov.28 15:13

Covenant between Humans

Read Genesis 21:22-34 Full Chapter

About this time Abimelech and his army commander Phicol said to Abraham, “God blesses everything you do! Now I want you to promise in the name of God that you will always be loyal to me and my descendants, just as I have always been loyal to you in this land where you have lived as a foreigner.” And so, Abraham promised. (Genesis 21:22-24, CEV)

Abimelech and Abraham promise to be nice to each other. Wow, isn’t that sweet. But this promise seems to be more of a promise in passing. So far, it seems to lack depth. But that will change.

One day, Abraham told Abimelech, “Some of your servants have taken over one of my wells.”

”This is the first I’ve heard about it,” Abimelech replied. “Why haven’t you said something before? I don’t have any idea who did it.” Abraham gave Abimelech some sheep and cattle, and then the two men made a peace treaty. Abraham separated seven female lambs from his flock of sheep, and Abimelech asked, “Why have you done this?”

Abraham told him, “I want you to accept these seven lambs as proof that I dug this well.” So they called the place Beersheba, because they made a treaty there. When the treaty was completed, Abimelech and his army commander Phicol went back to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and worshiped the eternal LORD God. Then Abraham lived a long time as a foreigner in the land of the Philistines. (Genesis 21:25-34, CEV)

Now, Abraham and Abimelech have gone through a situation that has promoted their mutual promise into a covenant. You can divide the covenants in the Bible into groups based on the participants in those covenants: God with group of humans, God with single human, single human with single human, and so on. Something I’ve noticed throughout the Bible is a difference between promises and covenants within all these groups.

Now God’s promises are secure, but even in his case, covenants seem to be, if you will, a higher order of promise. They involve some sort of “signing” activity. So the promise that Abimelech and Abraham make is not backed by any marker to which they can point; that promise comes under fire over the issue of one of Abraham’s wells, which some of Abimelech’s servants take over. (Unless, that is, verses 22-24 are meant as a summary rather than a separate event; but I’m going to persist with my current point in either case). The two “A” guys sort it out, but Abraham adds something to this.

Abe presents Abimelech with seven lambs, to be proof that Abimelech has accepted this particular well as belonging to Abraham. They also make a treaty (written?). So, now there’s an evidence of the promise, which I think is a significant part of a covenant. But Abraham actually adds an additional marker, a tamarisk tree. My guess is this tree is a marker of Abraham’s thanks to Yahweh for whatever part he played in working this out (I imagine including given wisdom to Abraham).

So, in summary, it seems a covenant needs (at least benefits from) a marker of some sort. Markers are generally used in covenants anyway; maybe more important is to recognize that the addition of a marker ought to bring the promise to a higher level, ought to be accompanied by a deliberate decision to count the cost of the covenant before entering.