Recently, I had a revelation that provided more insights about God’s covenant with us.

The seriousness of His covenant

The word “covenant” in its Hebrew meaning berith refers to something that has been “cut”.

This may explain why we have observed people cutting themselves when they enter into an oath or become sworn blood brothers.

That is why when the apostle Paul shared about the new covenant that was found in Christ, he was referring to Him as the ultimate sacrifice for the redemption of mankind.

It is through Christ with the shedding of His blood, that man is reconciled with God; altering man’s eternal destiny.

With a covenant requiring to cut or even to the extent of sacrificing one’s life, that shows how serious it is. Hence, a covenant serves as a seal between two parties that cannot be broken under any circumstances.

The paradox of His covenant

The amazing part of His covenant is when we consider the seriousness of a covenant, it seems entirely absurd that our Almighty God would even make an agreement with man.

I think we would agree that we would only go into an agreement with someone if we are confident of that person’s credibility which may be measured in terms of character or competence.

Taking into account the fallibility of man, it is obvious that God was taking a huge risk in trusting us to keep our end of the agreement when He initiated this covenant with us.

In fact, God was and is pretty much on the losing end.

But against conventional wisdom, we find that God trusts us. And more than that, He has remained faithful in spite of our shortcomings!

The message behind His covenant

Reflect for a moment on the fact that we or the Church have disappointed and grieved Him incessantly over spans of generations since the patriacrh Abraham, but yet He has remained true to His word.

Don’t you think it is mind-boggling that God would even intiate to establish a covenant with us?

“The Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations!

Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors.”

Deuteronomy 7:7-8

The establishment of God’s covenant with us reveals the depth of His love for us. And it reminds us that He is faithful even when we may fail Him.

When we consider the extent of God’s love and magnanimity through His covenant with us, it also provides that much needed perspective for us in becoming more gracious towards others (even the Church) who might have hurt or even disappointed us.

Just as God displays unconditional love through His covenant, so should we as He is.