The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and He will shew them His Covenant. (Ps.25:14)
The Lord our God has called each of us into covenant with Him. Because this covenant is so important, the relationship it describes must be well guarded. In any covenant relationship, the stronger partner is responsible for setting the terms of the covenant.
Once two people enter into covenant, each participant has a specific responsibility. The stronger partner in the relationship (the LORD) is responsible for the weaker partner (us, the body of Christ). So, the weaker partner may and must do the will of the stronger. If we can understand the responsibility of the stronger partner’s part, we can be set free….forever.
We cannot fully perform the will of God without His total provision. His provision includes physical, emotional, and financial support, all enabling us (the weaker) to perform His will (Phil. 4:19). From the weaker partner, the Lord expects respect, honor, love and acceptance of His terms. Giving Him what He requests will keep us hedged-in and guarded from the assaults of the wicked one. Jesus said, “While I was with them (the disciples) in the world, I KEPT them in Your name. Those that you have given me I have KEPT, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled” John 17:12.
If we, the weaker partner, do not adequately understand His provision and terms, we can be tempted to stop trusting Him and consequently lose our status of being KEPT. We may turn to outside help apart from our primary relationship with Him and take our eyes off of His covenant terms. No matter what chronological year it is or what the current headlines are, His covenant is eternal.
Through His covenant, we have not only been freed from the world’s system and its bondages (Egypt), we become endowed with a fourfold purpose:
- Spiritual as well as physical freedom. (Exodus 6:6)
- To serve God (the Hebrew word for serve is the word avodah.) Avodah is defined to mean work and worship. Hebraicly, ALL of life is worship. (Exodus 3:11-12)
- To enter into betrothal (Heb. Erusin) with God. (Exodus 6:7)
- To receive the document of marriage (Torah) known as the ketubbah (Exodus 19:7-8) (The Timothy Program, International)
Currently, we are in the betrothal stage. This is the time we study and learn the marriage documents (our Bible) in order to grow and mature into a presentable bride of Christ. If we separate ourselves from the marriage document (covenant) in deed or in thought, we become unfaithful to the terms of our stronger partner, God.
Join us next week for Part 2.
