Lent
March 12, 2018
Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
What does it mean when we make a commitment to God? How long does it last? Is our sense of commitment to God reflected in our commitments to all of God’s children? What is a covenant? In a world where it seems agreement are carefully created to be broken, it is hard to envision a binding covenant with God.
In secular terms a covenant is an agreement that is usually formal, solemn, and intended as binding.*
In Judeo-Christian terms, Merriam-Webster describes covenant as
the promises of God as revealed in the Scriptures conditioned on certain terms on the part of humanity (as obedience, repentance, and faith): such as
a: an agreement regarded as having been made between God and Israel whereby Israel was to be faithful to God and God was to protect and bless his faithful people
b: a promise regarded as having been enacted by God and granting redemption and salvation to humanity through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ*
Binding may be the key word here. The Greek word often translated as covenant likens it to a will or testament. ** Jeremiah, in our scripture today, talks about a new covenant is coming where Gods laws are written on our hearts, which would indicate some type of permanent change in our whole being. This describes God’s intentions in the gift of Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your Son. Guide us in understanding the role we are to play in furthering your ways in our world. Amen.
*http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/covenant
**http://biblehub.com/greek/1242.htm