Sabbath: Covenant Primer
Image © Pacific Press
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Gen: 9:15; Isa: 54:9; Gen: 12:1-3, Gal: 3:6-9, Galatians 3:29; Exod: 6:1-8; Jer: 31:33-34.
Memory Text: “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine” (Exodus 19:5).
Last week left off with the fall of humanity, due to our first parents’ sin. This week is a quick summary of the whole quarter, as we take one day each to look at the early covenants, the ones that were all, in their own way, present-truth manifestations of the true covenant, the one ratified at Calvary by the blood of Jesus, the one that we, as Christians, enter into with our Lord.
We begin with the covenant God made with Noah to spare him and his family from destruction. We proceed to the covenant with Abraham, so rich and full of promise for all of us; then to the covenant at Sinai and the importance of what was proclaimed there; and finally we look at the new covenant, the one that all the others pointed toward. All of these, of course, will be studied in more depth in the next several weeks. This week is just a sneak preview.
The Week at a Glance: What does the word covenant mean? What elements make up the covenant? What was the covenant that God made with Noah? What hope was found in the covenant with Abraham? What role do faith and works play in the human end of the covenant? Is the covenant just a deal, or does it have relational aspects to it? What is the essence of the “new covenant”?
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, April 10.
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My concordance tells me the word obey is Shama which means listen. The word keep is the word shamar which means to guard or cherish. In Exodus 19:5 I believe God is telling Israel and us to listen to His Covenant promise and to cherish His covenant promise so that He will keep us safe from Egyptian bondage and the bondage of sin. In Exodus 19:4 God tells Israel how He freed them from Egyptian bondage and how they did not free themselves. If we listen to and Cherish God’s covenant promises we will be saved from the bondage of sin. God’s commands are His promises and enablings. When He says thou shalt have no other God’s before Him He is actually promising we will need no other god because He will be the only God we need,
Even in the last book of the bible we still have that word listen and do the will of what is written. Rev 1:3.
William - would this word - Shama - be also accurately interpreted as "pay attention", "take to heart, know, pay heed to what is being agreed to in the Covenant because I am your LORD now; I have chosen you from among all peoples - you are special to me"?
Brigitte, certainly!
God is so faithful even unto what He promises to us as it's followed with the numerous blessings that comes along the prophets way like Noah, Abraham and the incident of Moses at Mt Sinai.. And also if we surely obey God's calling and harken to His voice we 'll have peace with our creator.
Why does the LORD enter into a covenant with certain people? Why does He commit/limit Himself to act in a certain way?
I believe it is because He loves us and wants us to trust Him.
He created us and knows what will make a happy and harmonious society, so He shares with us the secret, His Principles of Life.
Deut 29:29 NLT
The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.
Exodus 19:5 ‘s admonition paraphrased: “Children, obeying my voice and keeping my covenant will result in you being able to see how special you are to me, your Father; it will bring you closer to me than other nations are able to do.”
It has always been the Father’s Covenant with His children and His creation; He desires to redeem the world unto Himself. Only by faith, even under the Old Covenant Law, is man able to enter this Covenant with the LORD. ”God spake unto Moses, and said unto him: “I am the LORD (or, JEHOVA). And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by My name JEHOVA (Heb. YHYW, and referred to by the Hebrews as Adonay, that is, the LORD) was I not known to them - Exodus6:2-4KJV.
‘Adonai’ means “master” or “Lord”, showing God has sovereignty over us. Christ Jesus re-introduces to Israel and, for the first time, the world to their true Lord/Master/Father. Just as man is willing to emancipate himself from their gods altogether, Christ Jesus brings mankind back full circle and offers a New Covenant designed to bring all mankind into the closest relationship he ever enjoyed with the Creator Father – like the parable of the prodigal son so aptly describes in Luke15:11-32KJV; Light and Truth - Christ Jesus - came into the world. Now are we able to come home to meet our Father who is waiting for us to welcome us back with open arms!
Because the Father is described in the Old Testament as dealing with one special people, the Jews saw partiality in God’s dealings with man; many realized that this is not the case and went out to take the Good News to the World. It was always ‘all or nothing – everyone or no one’. I am finally beginning to comprehend that His Wisdom and Justice is beyond reproach as I detect His unfathomable Love in Justice, Mercy and Grace even in the expressions of His disappointments. Our heavenly Father is truly the perfect FATHER!
I am looking forward to studying the different covenants our Creator Father made between Himself and His children, even “every creature of all flesh” – Gen.9:15KJV. I believe that mankind is finally beginning to understand that at the heart of all His Covenants with man lays His desire to return our mind and heart back to His Love He has for us.
Mind and heart direct our actions; living with our new heart and mind motivated by the Father’s Love will reflect His Love and provide His Light to all who are still seeking to find their way home and rejoin the heavenly family.
Reading this week's lesson made me realize the importance of fulfilling our part of the bagain of the convenant by obeying the will of God...and that the promises God has made in the past written in the scriptures are valid and God is willing to fulfill such promises only if we do our part as well 'doing his will'...